UK tries to stop Zimbabwe chairing UN commission

Britain is engaged in a last-ditch effort to prevent Zimbabwe, whose development has been reversed by the policies of Robert Mugabe, from taking over as chairman of the UN Sustainable Development Commission.

Zimbabwe's environment minister, Francis Nhema, is set to be elected commission chairman next week after the African group of countries at the UN agreed to nominate him.

UN diplomats said yesterday that Britain and other like-minded countries were privately consulting African states, aware of the disastrous message that Mr Nhema's appointment would send.

"Zimbabwe is not exactly a paragon of development," said one diplomat. Under President Mugabe, Zimbabwe, once the bread-basket of Africa, can no longer feed itself. Annual inflation is running at 2,200 per cent, millions have been made poor and tens of thousands have died from malnutrition and lack of medical care.

The UN diplomats recognised that it was unlikely the African group would have a change of heart at this stage. Zimbabwe's nomination as chairman was agreed last month under a geographical rotation system. The outgoing chairman is from Qatar.

The commission has a broad mandate, including climate change, and sees itself as an "authoritative source of expertise" on sustainable development.

In a decision which will deal a further blow to the UN's reputation, the last one-party state in Europe, Belarus, has been put forward as a candidate to the UN Human Rights Council by the East European group. The council is the successor to the discredited UN Human Rights Commission which was wound up last year.