By Evans Dakwa, News Editor
Harare – Ahead of commemorations to mark World Refugee Day, the Zimbabwean Government has reiterated its resolve to ensure the well-being of refugees domiciled in the country by implementing a raft of measures aimed at creating a conducive environment for them to thrive.
This was said by the Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Advocate Mercy Dinha, as she addressed the media ahead of the main celebrations slated for tomorrow, June 20, at Tongogara Refugee Camp in Chipinge.
The Deputy Minister said the country boasts a permissive environment created by policy guidelines meant to further the refugee protection agenda.
“The 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe extends other privileges that relate to access to the national social service support system and provision of pathways towards naturalization,” said Advocate Dinha.
According to Deputy Minister Dinha, Zimbabwe is currently using the settlement system in line with reservations expressed when the country ratified the 1951 Convention; however, she said, “Some refugees who are professionals and businesspeople are accorded authority to work and are residing outside Tongogara Refugee Camp.”
She added that the Ministry is working tirelessly to ensure refugees are as comfortable as possible and accorded the dignity they deserve through the provision of civil documents and facilitation of participation in economic activities.
“In a bid to enhance access to national social protection services by refugees in the country, my ministry has been facilitating access to civil documentation that includes birth certificates for children born in Zimbabwe, national IDs for all refugees, and refugee passports for educational and other reasons compelling international travel by refugees.”
The Government has also availed 175 hectares of irrigable plots to refugees at Tongogara Camp. Zimbabwe is home to at least 17,200 refugees, most of whom are from the Great Lakes region and the Horn of Africa, where there is persistent unrest. This year’s World Refugee Day is themed “Solidarity with Refugees,” a clarion call to reaffirm the promotion of refugee inclusion.