DESPITE being a developing country, Zambia’s role in international affairs cannot be ignored both at regional and international levels.
The presence of ambassadors and high commissioners at the celebratory reception hosted by the country’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations (UN) in New York is testimony to this fact.
As Permanent Representative to the UN Mwaba Kasese-Bota told her guests, their presence, which was in honour of Zambia’s 50th independence anniversary, truly spoke volumes regarding this country’s warm relations with other countries, both in (Southern) Africa and the world over.
As of now, Zambia is a member of more than 140 international organisations, and this started immediately the country became independent in 1964.
But perhaps the country gained much more prominence when she proved to the world as one of the most vocal opponents to white minority rule and colonialism in Southern Africa.
Then the country’s foreign relations are, for instance, known to have mostly focused on supporting liberation movements in other countries in Southern Africa, and this earned Zambia the dubious distinction as a very visible advocate of change in the region.
Many of these movements were based in Zambia during the 1970s and 1980s. These included the African National Congress (ANC) that was fighting against apartheid in South Africa and had its head quarters here in Zambia.
Zambia also vigorously supported the South-West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) in its fight for Namibia’s independence from South Africa.
In SWAPO’s early years, the liberation movement had its head office in Zambia, before it was moved to Angola. Zambia, however, remained host for the United Nations Institute for Namibia, whose director, Hage Geingob, later became prime minister of independent Namibia.
Other countries that won independence such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Angola had many of their freedom fighters based in Zambia from where they launched attacks on colonial forces in their countries.
It is precisely because of her visible part in the liberation struggles that Zambia still enjoys wide popularity among the countries she supported, as well as all over Africa and the world at large.
The late first black president of South African, Nelson Mandela, for instance, often referred to the “debt South Africa owes Zambia.”
His predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, expressed similar sentiments during Zambia’s Golden Jubilee celebrations last week. Of course Zambia’s role did not end with the liberation of Southern Africa because when first Republican President Kenneth Kaunda left office following the 1991 presidential and general elections, the Zambian government played a constructive regional role sponsoring Angola peace talks that led to the 1994 Lusaka Protocols.
Later in 1998, Zambia took the lead in efforts to establish a cease-fire in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The country was active in the Congolese peace effort after the signing of the cease-fire agreement in Lusaka in July and August 1999.
Zambia’s cooperation with African countries could further be seen from its membership of the African Union (AU), of which the country had been chair, twice under the leadership of Dr Kaunda when the body was known as the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and, thirdly, until July 2002 under the late Frederick Chiluba.
In addition, Zambia to date actively participates in the AU’s economical cooperation, the African Economic Community (AEC), whose different pillars the country takes part in two, namely, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the preferential trade area, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
In fact, SADC was founded in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka on April 1, 1980, and COMESA has its headquarters here as well.
All these are a plus for Zambia and, as Dr Kasese-Bota rightly says, this country will surely continue to play an active role in international affairs for the betterment of humanity.