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May 4, 2007

More Kafkaesque behavior from the UN

By Ed Lasky

Zimbabwe is about to become head of UN's Commission on Sustainable Development. This goes beyond Orwell; it is Kafkaesque.

Under the dictatorship of Robert Mugabe, all indexes of economic well-being, let alone political freedom, have plummeted. Life expectancy at birth for males has dramatically declined from 60 to 37 since 1990 (for women it is even lower), making it the lowest in the world. The infant mortality rate has climbed from 53 to 81 deaths per 1000 live births in the same period. Five and a half million Zimbabweans currently live with HIV. Inflation has soared; trade unions are repressed; opponents are tortured.

Even the UN notes that the Zimbabwe Economy is Africa's Worst Performer in 2006 (its economy slipped 4.4% last year, while Africa's economies averaged growth of 5.7%).

Urban redevelopment for Zimbabwe consists of destroying vast swaths of housing which are occupied by those groups considered political opponents of the ruling regime. Formerly a huge exporter of farm goods, the country now relies on imports of food for sustenance.  Yep...sure sounds like qualifications for the new chair of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development.

If the UN were rational and felt the need for an African nation to head the Commission, it should have chosen Botswana-which for many years has enjoyed a booming economy AND political freedom. But that would presume some positive values at the UN.
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