President Mugabe returned home from Uruguay yesterday after
attending the World Health Organisation Global Conference on Non-Communicable
Diseases, a meeting that culminated in him being named a WHO Goodwill
Ambassador.
WHO is now rethinking its decision to name Mugabe as the ambassador after a barrage of criticism from around the world. NCDs are chronic diseases that cannot be passed from person
to person, and include chronic respiratory and cardiovascular conditions,
cancer and diabetes.
The President — who was accompanied by ministers Dr Walter
Mzembi (Foreign Affairs) and Dr David Parirenyatwa (Health and Child Care) —was
welcomed at Harare International Airport by Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Also there to welcome President Mugabe were ministers Dr
Sydney Sekeramayi (Defence), Happyton Bonyongwe (Justice, Legal and
Parliamentary Affairs), Dr Joram Gumbo (Transport and Infrastructure
Development) and Miriam Chikukwa (Harare Provincial Affairs); Chief Secretary
to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda, and other senior Government
officials and service chiefs.
In an interview on landing, Dr Parirenyatwa described the
conference as a huge success, while also hailing President Mugabe’s appointment
as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Africa in the fight against NCDs.
“All the nations came up with a declaration on NCDs to be
put up the agenda of prevention,” he said. Dr Parirenyatwa said among other things, the declaration
urges nations to mobilise resources to fight NCDs.
“This is a new page for Zimbabwe. President Mugabe is
involved in a big way as Ambassador, and Zimbabwe should be a model in the
fight against NCDs,” he said.
Dr Mzembi said Zimbabwe had taken the opportunity to boost
diplomatic relations with Uruguay. “The thrust going forward is linking Zimbabwe with new
markets,” he said.
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