Based on information gathered by the UNCTAD secretariat from the Zimbabwean Competition and Tariff Commission.

The Zimbabwean Government should start by accepting the recommendations of the Secretary General's Special Envoy.

The exporting arm of the joint venture would deprive the local Zimbabwean market of furniture items.

We take note of signs that the Zimbabwean authorities appear willing to work with the United Nations.

Joyce's mother is now taking care of her daughter, like so many other Zimbabwean children who've been orphaned by the epidemic.

We once again urge the Government of Zimbabwe to allow the international community to alleviate the suffering of the Zimbabwean people.

They are made from handpicked organic Zimbabwean cotton that has been shuttle loomed and then hand dipped in natural indigo 24 times.

Under Secretary General Gambari should encourage African nations to step up their engagement with all Zimbabwean parties to promote timely solutions to Zimbabwe's economic crisis.

We would like also to see a more active engagement on the part of African Governments in the region with the Zimbabwean Government to improve the situation.

Steinhoff is dominant in the neighbouring South African market and might abuse that position dominance in the Zimbabwean market by undercutting prices or becoming a price leader.

There have also been extensive beatings and arbitrary detentions. When Farai Maguwu, a Zimbabwean human rights activist, disseminated information about the abuses, he was arrested (he has since been released).

I will begin with Southern Africa, by welcoming the dialogue with the Zimbabwean authorities that began during Mr. Egeland's visit to that country and the agreements arrived at during that visit.

Here in our offices in Johannesburg, we have two Zimbabwean lawyers who fled their country after receiving death threats for their work defending human rights. At least five of their clients have been murdered in the past few weeks.

It was also noted that the transaction had a number of public interest benefits, such as (i) foreign direct investment (ii) foreign currency generation through exports (iii) additional employment creation and (iv) technology improvement in the local Zimbabwean furniture industry.

Limiting the measures taken by the European Union in the framework of article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement depend, we believe, on such dialogue and on concrete efforts by the Zimbabwean authorities within the framework of the dialogue towards finding a solution to the problems that they themselves created.