FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
U.S. Relations With Zimbabwe
Bureau of African Affairs
Fact Sheet
June 7, 2012
The United Kingdom formally granted independence to Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) in 1980, following years of conflict between minority white rulers and majority black guerilla movements. The United States was the first nation to open an embassy in the country, and it initially pledged assistance toward the Zimbabwean Government's goals of postwar reconstruction, distribution and development of land, and the development of skilled manpower.
Robert Gabriel Mugabe was elected as Zimbabwe’s first prime minister in 1980 and became president in 1987 after changes to the constitution created an executive presidency. He has remained in power ever since and is now Africa’s third longest serving leader behind Angola and Equatorial Guinea. Beginning in 2000, the United States took a leading role in condemning the Zimbabwean Government's increasing assault on human rights and the rule of law, and joined much of the world community in calling for the Government of Zimbabwe to embrace a peaceful democratic evolution. The United States seeks a stable, democratic, and prosperous Zimbabwe with freedom and empowerment for all Zimbabweans. It looks to the ongoing constitutional and electoral reform process, begun in 2008, to create an environment in which democratic institutions are strengthened, human rights are protected, and Zimbabwe’s rich resources are harnessed to create a flourishing economy for its people.
In 2001, the United States began imposing targeted measures on the Government of Zimbabwe, including restrictions on U.S. support for multilateral financing, financial sanctions against selected individuals and entities, travel sanctions against selected individuals, a ban on transfers of defense items and services, and a suspension of non-humanitarian government-to-government assistance. Despite strained political relations, the United States is a leading provider of humanitarian assistance to the people of Zimbabwe.
U.S. Assistance to Zimbabwe
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) assistance to Zimbabwe since 2002 has focused on HIV/AIDS prevention, democracy and governance programs, humanitarian assistance, economic growth and agriculture, and investing in people. In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began a direct assistance program. CDC's program consists of prevention of HIV transmission; improved care of persons with HIV/AIDS; surveillance, monitoring, and evaluation of the epidemic; and health sector infrastructure support.
Bilateral Economic Relations
Within the confines of the targeted sanctions program, the U.S. Government works to promote Zimbabwe's economic recovery following years of decline, and to highlight opportunities for investment that will benefit U.S. and Zimbabwean businesses alike. The U.S. Government provides guidance to U.S. businesses about how they can take advantage of opportunities in Zimbabwe while complying with U.S. law.
Zimbabwe's Membership in International Organizations
Since independence, Zimbabwe has enunciated and follows a policy of "active nonalignment." Zimbabwe and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.
