Harare (New Ziana) –The Zimbabwe government has approved the accession to the international convention on the protection of the rights of all migrant workers and their families, a cabinet minister has said.
Briefing the media after the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere said the approval was made after a presentation by Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Ziyambi Ziyambi, who chairs the Cabinet Committee on legislation.
The Convention is a comprehensive International Treaty focusing on the protection of the rights of all migrant workers and members of their families, as required by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and various instruments concerning human rights, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
It also seeks to address the vulnerability of migrant workers and members of their families in foreign lands.
The Convention provides migrant workers and their families the rights to leave any State including their State of origin, enter and remain in their State of origin, hold opinions without interference, freedom of thought and equal protection from heavy penalties and not to be subjected to torture or to cruel or inhuman treatment.
Migrant workers are also not to be arbitrarily deprived of property, the right to protection and assistance from consular or diplomatic authorities of their State and the right to equal working conditions with nationals of the State.
Dr Muswere said Cabinet also considered and approved the signing and ratification of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights of Citizens to Social Protection and Social Security following another presentation by Ziyambi.
The Protocol provides for the right to social protection and social security to all citizens in a non-discriminatory manner and extends the right to vulnerable groups like women, children, persons with disabilities and informal rural communities with the aim of changing lives and eradicating poverty.
It also provides for instances where social assistance should be rendered, and when citizens should make social protection contributions that will protect them during maternity, retirement or sickness among others.
“The State is also obliged to adequately fund social protection systems, the health sector, the agricultural sector as well as other relevant sectors to eradicate poverty,” said Dr Muswere.
The procedure for treaties and conventions to bind Zimbabwe is that after they have been signed by or on behalf of the President, they should be approved by Parliament, that is both the National Assembly and Senate.
Once that approval is obtained, the government should send documents called “Instruments of ratification” to the other State that is a party to the treaty, or, if the treaty so requires, to a body such as the United Nations.
Instruments of ratification are a formal statement that the treaty has become binding on Zimbabwe in international law.
Meanwhile, Dr Muswere said Cabinet was briefed about preparations to host the 44th SADC summit to be held in the country next year when Zimbabwe assumes chairmanship of the regional body.
The summit is expected to be held at the New Parliament Building in Mt Hampden, Harare in August next year.
Opposition Citizens Coalition for Change Nelson Chamisa had been pinning hopes on SADC to order an election re-run of the August 23 and 24 harmonised elections after he disputed the Presidential portion of the polls and the regional group’s observer mission, in its preliminary report, criticised some of its aspects.
The observer mission has since issued its final report and made it clear that its role was merely to make recommendations, which member states can either implement or ignore, and not to conduct elections.
Dr Muswere said the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Professor Amon Murwira who is the acting Minister of foreign Affairs and International Trade had briefed Cabinet that 10 sub-committees had been set up at senior officials’ level with a lead Ministry to coordinate thematic areas under their purview.
Prof Murwira had also taken the opportunity to brief Cabinet on preparations for Zimbabwe’s participation at the Osaka Expo 2025 in Japan.
The export to run from April 13 to October 13, will run under the theme “Designing Future Society for our Lives”.
New Ziana
