. . . as Diplomatic Offensive for UN Security Council Seat Gains Momentum
By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
MAPHISA — Zimbabwe is set to take the helm of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in October 2026, President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced during the 46th Independence Day celebrations in Maphisa, as the country intensifies its campaign for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
“Zimbabwe will be honoured to host the COMESA Summit and assume the Chairmanship of that august regional organisation,” Mnangagwa told the nation. “I am confident that Zimbabweans will display the usual exceptional hospitality.”
The announcement marks a significant diplomatic milestone for the Second Republic, which has pursued a “friend to all and enemy to none” foreign policy since 2017.
COMESA, a 21-member bloc stretching from Libya to Eswatini, is Africa’s largest regional economic organisation by membership.
Zimbabwe last held the COMESA chairmanship in 2015. The 2026 summit, to be hosted in Harare, is expected to draw heads of state from across Eastern and Southern Africa, providing Harare with a platform to showcase infrastructure developments, including the upgraded Beitbridge border post and ongoing road corridors.
But the COMESA chairmanship is only one front in Zimbabwe’s broader diplomatic offensive.
“Engagements are progressing well in our campaign for election for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, for the 2027 to 2028 term,” Mnangagwa said.
A non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, while lacking veto power, carries significant prestige and influence over international peace and security decisions.
It would be Zimbabwe’s first term on the council since 1983–1984, during the early years of independence.
To secure the seat, Zimbabwe requires two-thirds majority support from the UN General Assembly.
Harare has been courting African, Asian, and Caribbean nations, consistent with Mnangagwa’s recent foreign policy expansion that includes the Caribbean and Pacific Island States.
“We are deepening and broadening relations with other jurisdictions, across Africa, Asia, Middle East, Europe, and the Americas, as well as the recent addition of the Caribbean and Pacific Island States,” the President said.
The diplomatic push comes as Zimbabwe continues to navigate Western sanctions, which were reauthorised by the United States in March 2026 but have seen diminishing international support.
Harare has successfully lobbied for renewed engagement from the United Kingdom and European Union on humanitarian and development cooperation.
International relations expert Dr. Charity Manyeruke of the University of Zimbabwe said the COMESA chairmanship and UN Security Council bid are mutually reinforcing.
“Chairing COMESA gives Zimbabwe visibility, credibility, and a chance to demonstrate leadership. That helps build goodwill for the UN vote,” she said.
“But the real test will be whether Zimbabwe can balance its traditional alliances — with China, Russia, and fellow African states — while keeping doors open to the West.”
The President, however, remained unequivocal about Zimbabwe’s sovereign foreign policy.
“Zimbabwe is a mature, people-centred democracy and sovereign nation,” he said. “From Plumtree to Mutare; from Beitbridge to Chirundu, we shall be persistently vigilant and on guard to protect and defend this Independence.”
For now, the diplomatic calendar is set: COMESA in October 2026, followed by the UN Security Council vote for the 2027–2028 term.
Whether Zimbabwe secures the seat will depend on months of intense lobbying.
But in Maphisa, on the 46th anniversary of independence, the message was one of confidence. As the President put it: “No-one else will build our country Zimbabwe for us. That duty lies with us all.”
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