Zim committed to joint health efforts: Unicef boss

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ZIMBABWE is committed to deepening collaborations and joint efforts in health, child protection and education, Foreign Affairs and International Trade minister Frederick Shava said.

BY VANESSA GUZHA

ZIMBABWE is committed to deepening collaborations and joint efforts in health, child protection and education, Foreign Affairs and International Trade minister Frederick Shava said.

Shava made the remarks yesterday when the newly-appointed United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) representative in Zimbabwe Tajudeen Oyewale presented his credentials.

“I look forward to working closely with Unicef under your leadership as we seek to promote and fulfil children’s rights in Zimbabwe,” Shava said.

“I am confident that through your leadership, the relations between Zimbabwe and Unicef will continue to grow.”

The minister said government was grateful for the continued humanitarian assistance extended by Unicef  to address, among other challenges, the impact of natural disasters and pandemics.

Speaking on the ongoing efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Shava said: “Despite the achievements in dealing with COVID-19 so far, there was a lot of work ahead, particularly on addressing vaccine hesitancy as Zimbabwe works towards achieving head immunity.”

Oyewale replaced Laylee Moshiri and will oversee the development and implementation of the new Unicef programmes of co-operation from 2022 to 2026.

He counts on the continued engagement between government and development partners in the process.

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