I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5971 

To facilitate lasting peace, rule of law, democracy, and economic recovery 

in Zimbabwe. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 29, 2010 

Mr. PAYNE (for himself, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. RUSH, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. 

MEEKS of New York, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mrs. 

CHRISTENSEN, Ms. WATERS, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. WATT, Mr. BISHOP of 

Georgia, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. HASTINGS of 

Florida, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas, Mr. 

CUMMINGS, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. CLAY, Ms. CLARKE, Mr. CARSON

of Indiana, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. SCOTT of Georgia, Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, 

Ms. WOOLSEY, and Ms. WATSON) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the 

Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To facilitate lasting peace, rule of law, democracy, and 

economic recovery in Zimbabwe. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘Zimbabwe Renewal Act of 2010’’. 

4 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 

5 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings and sense of Congress. 

Sec. 3. Statement of policy. 

Sec. 4. Assistance to strengthen the rule of law and human rights in Zimbabwe. 

Sec. 5. Assistance for sustainable development, health care, education, agriculture, clean water, and emergency vocational work program 

for youth in Zimbabwe. 

Sec. 6. Assistance to promote reconciliation efforts in Zimbabwe and support 

full implementation of the Global Political Agreement. 

Sec. 7. Technical assistance for Zimbabwe. 

Sec. 8. Debt relief for Zimbabwe. 

Sec. 9. Review of targeted sanctions in support of peace and democracy in 

Zimbabwe. 

Sec. 10. Report. 

Sec. 11. Other provisions of law superseded. 

Sec. 12. Authorization of appropriations. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) In September 2008, the Zimbabwean Afri9 can National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF), 

10 led by President Robert Mugabe, the Movement for 

11 the Democratic Change (MDC), and the Movement 

12 for Democratic Change-Mutambara, reached an ac13 cord, the Global Political Agreement (GPA), after 

14 months of negotiations. 

15 (2) In February 2009, MDC leader Morgan 

16 Tsvangirai was sworn in as the prime minister of 

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1 dent Robert Mugabe kept his position as agreed to 

2 by the three parties. 

3 (3) Since the formation of the coalition govern4 ment important progress has been made, although 

5 serious challenges remain. Moreover, some members 

6 of ZANU–PF continue to undermine and obstruct 

7 the peace agreement and the coalition government. 

8 (4) Despite the GPA, civil society, labor unions, 

9 human rights advocates, journalists, and opposition 

10 members continue to face harassment and intimida11 tion by security forces, which are still under the con12 trol of the ruling ZANU–PF. 

13 (5) While, due to difficult economic and secu14 rity conditions, an estimated 3,000,000 

15 Zimbabweans have fled to South Africa and other 

16 neighboring countries. 

17 (6) While recent measures taken by the coali18 tion government have improved economic conditions, 

19 significantly reducing the inflation rates, millions of 

20 Zimbabweans continue to face serious difficulties. 

21 (7) On May 10, 2010, the Zimbabwe High 

22 Court acquitted MDC–T Treasurer, Roy Bennett. 

23 The Zimbabwe Attorney General announced two 

24 days later that he would appeal the ruling. 


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1 (8) In May 2010, Prime Minister Morgan 

2 Tsvangirai met with senior Administration officials, 

3 including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and was 

4 recognized with the Democracy Award by the Na5 tional Democratic Institute (NDI). 

6 (9) Formal unemployment rates in Zimbabwe 

7 have increased to more than 90 percent and youth 

8 make up more than two-thirds of the unemployed. 

9 (10) Many poor Zimbabwe youth drop out of 

10 school without the education and training necessary 

11 for employment and become vulnerable to criminal 

12 activity, poor health, and disease. 

13 (11) It is estimated that as many as 29,000 

14 youth are currently members of youth militias 

15 known to intimidate persons and groups for political 

16 purposes in exchange for cash, food, clothes, and 

17 shelter. 

18 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con19 gress that providing job opportunities of practical national 

20 value for youth in Zimbabwe designed to divert young peo21 ple away from idleness and undesirable activity also would 

22 help alleviate poverty, restore the economy, contribute to 

23 the reconstruction of Zimbabwe, and give such youth in24 come and a sense of achievement and self-worth in an oth25 erwise hopeless environment. 


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1 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

2 It shall be the policy of the United States Govern3 ment to— 

4 (1) support a transition to democratic and eco5 nomic recovery in Zimbabwe that reflects the new 

6 political conditions and opportunities created by the 

7 Global Political Agreement (GPA); 

8 (2) support the advancement of human rights, 

9 labor rights, democracy, rule of law, independence of 

10 the judiciary, freedom of the press, and economic de11 velopment in Zimbabwe; 

12 (3) support full implementation of the GPA and 

13 seek the unconditional release of all political pris14 oners and prisoners of conscience; 

15 (4) foster stability, democracy, and economic 

16 development in the region; 

17 (5) help end poverty and support economic re18 covery by expanding United States assistance pro19 grams in Zimbabwe; 

20 (6) promote a sustained relationship with 

21 Zimbabwe in order to strengthen democracy, human 

22 rights, security, economic growth, and the alleviation 

23 of poverty; 

24 (7) help end human rights abuses and violence 

25 against civilians by the security forces of Zimbabwe 

26 and hold those engaged in these abuses accountable; 


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1 (8) maintain targeted sanctions against individ2 uals who continue to undermine the democratic proc3 esses and review and update existing sanctions to re4 flect changing conditions on the ground; 

5 (9) create programs designed to provide job op6 portunities of practical national value for youth in 

7 Zimbabwe to help alleviate poverty, restore the econ8 omy, contribute to the reconstruction of Zimbabwe, 

9 and give such youth income and a sense of achieve10 ment and self-worth in an otherwise hopeless envi11 ronment; 

12 (10) contribute to the African Development 

13 Bank-administered Zimbabwe Multi-Donor Trust 

14 Fund; 

15 (11) press for full compliance with the Kim16 berley Process diamond certification scheme; 

17 (12) support credible efforts to conduct a com18 prehensive, transparent, and nonpartisan land audit 

19 as a critical step toward establishing accountability 

20 and security of tenure; 

21 (13) engage international partners and regional 

22 governments to develop a coordinated strategy to 

23 prepare for future elections in Zimbabwe, particu24 larly to help reduce the risk of violence and other 

25 election-related abuses; and 


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1 (14) strengthen the relationship with Zimbabwe 

2 based on the policy objectives specified in para3 graphs (1) through (11) and to engage the talents 

4 and skills of the Zimbabwean Diaspora towards that 

5 end. 

6 SEC. 4. ASSISTANCE TO STRENGTHEN THE RULE OF LAW 

7 AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN ZIMBABWE. 

8 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE.—The Sec9 retary of State is authorized to provide assistance to 

10 strengthen the rule of law and human rights in Zimbabwe. 

11 (b) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.—Activities that may be 

12 supported by assistance under subsection (a) include— 

13 (1) providing assistance to strengthen local gov14 ernment, councils, parliament, and the judiciary in 

15 Zimbabwe; 

16 (2) providing assistance for urban, peri-urban, 

17 and rural programs focused on reconciliation efforts 

18 in order to address past abuses and pave the way for 

19 peaceful political participation; 

20 (3) providing training and funding for civil soci21 ety and human rights groups in election monitoring, 

22 human rights related activities, and democratic insti23 tution building; 

24 (4) providing support for training, monitoring, 

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1 sistent with the Southern Africa Development Com2 munity Protocol on Politics, Defense, and Security 

3 Co-operation, which requires that security forces 

4 ‘‘shall at all times promote the peaceful settlement 

5 of disputes by negotiation, conciliation, mediation, or 

6 arbitration’’; 

7 (5) helping strengthen the independent press; 

8 (6) supporting local and national human rights 

9 groups and other relevant civil society organizations 

10 to help strengthen human rights monitoring and reg11 ular reporting on human rights conditions in 

12 Zimbabwe; 

13 (7) supporting victims of political violence, with 

14 priority to victims of sexual violence, trade unionists, 

15 survivors of the Gukurahundi Campaign, and the 

16 victims of the 2005 Operation Murambatsvina, par17 ticularly micro-entrepreneurs and informal sector 

18 traders, and such assistance shall be implemented by 

19 a new Zimbabwe Human Rights Trust Fund or 

20 through a locally administered and implemented 

21 rural human rights program similar to the 

22 Zimbabwe Alliance; 

23 (8) strengthening the independence of the judi24 ciary through— 


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1 (A) providing training and material sup2 port to court personnel and civil society groups; 

3 and 

4 (B) instituting and expanding exchange 

5 programs between United States and 

6 Zimbabwean jurists, law schools, and other 

7 groups in the legal sector; 

8 (9) establishing a program in consultation with 

9 Zimbabwean civil society, human rights groups, and 

10 other relevant groups for a judicial monitoring proc11 ess by local, national, and international groups, to 

12 monitor judicial proceedings throughout Zimbabwe 

13 focused on politically motivated government inter14 vention on judicial matters; and 

15 (10) supporting anti-corruption programs, in16 cluding reporting on national incomes and the devel17 opment of a national transparency framework. 

18 SEC. 5. ASSISTANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, 

19 HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION, AGRICULTURE, 

20 CLEAN WATER, AND EMERGENCY VOCA21 TIONAL WORK PROGRAM FOR YOUTH IN 

22 ZIMBABWE. 

23 (a) SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.—The President, 

24 in consultation with other donors, is authorized to provide 


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1 assistance, as needed, for sustainable development in 

2 Zimbabwe. 

3 (b) HEALTH CARE ASSISTANCE.—The President is 

4 authorized to provide assistance for the health care sector 

5 in Zimbabwe and provide material support to hospitals, 

6 clinics, and health care centers in Zimbabwe. 

7 (c) EDUCATION ASSISTANCE.—The President is au8 thorized to provide assistance to strengthen the education 

9 sector in Zimbabwe, including by providing teacher train10 ing, refurbishment of education facilities, and material 

11 support. 

12 (d) AGRICULTURE ASSISTANCE.— 

13 (1) AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE.—The 

14 President is authorized to provide expanded assist15 ance for the agriculture sector in Zimbabwe to en16 able self-sufficiency, support for irrigation and water 

17 harvesting systems, and provide funding for nec18 essary agricultural supplies. 

19 (2) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.—Activities that 

20 may be supported by assistance under paragraph (1) 

21 include— 

22 (A) supporting market-based mechanisms 

23 for the provision of credit and access to the in24 puts necessary for agricultural production and 


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1 for the handling, marketing, storage, and proc2 essing of agricultural commodities; 

3 (B) encouraging policies that provide in4 centives for agricultural production; and 

5 (C) supporting institutions that provide 

6 technical assistance and financial support to the 

7 agriculture sector. 

8 (e) CLEAN WATER.—The President is authorized to 

9 provide assistance for the rehabilitation of the water treat10 ment facilities and sewer systems in Zimbabwe. 

11 (f) EMERGENCY VOCATIONAL WORK PROGRAM FOR

12 YOUTH.—The President shall develop an emergency voca13 tional work program for youth in Zimbabwe with cash pay14 ments for the construction and repair of public works of 

15 benefit to the entire population of Zimbabwe. 

16 (g) DELEGATION OF FUNCTIONS TO USAID.—The 

17 functions of the President under this section shall be car18 ried out by the Administrator of the United States Agency 

19 for International Development. 

20 SEC. 6. ASSISTANCE TO PROMOTE RECONCILIATION EF21 FORTS IN ZIMBABWE AND SUPPORT FULL IM22 PLEMENTATION OF THE GLOBAL POLITICAL 

23 AGREEMENT. 

24 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE.—The Presi25 dent is authorized to provide economic assistance for 


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1 Zimbabwe in an effort to support democracy, the rule of 

2 law, respect for human rights, economic self-sufficiency, 

3 build civil authority, provide support in education and 

4 health care, enhance judicial and legal frameworks to pro5 mote reconciliation efforts in Zimbabwe and support full 

6 implementation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA). 

7 (b) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.—Assistance 

8 may not be provided under subsection (a) until 15 days 

9 after the date on which the President notifies and certifies 

10 to Congress that progress is being made in the implemen11 tation of the Global Political Agreement. 

12 (c) SUPPORT FOR LAND REFORM AND AGRICUL13 TURAL DEVELOPMENT.— 

14 (1) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

15 (A) sanctions on financial institutions that 

16 provide lines of credit and other financial serv17 ices to vast numbers of communal farmers in 

18 Zimbabwe have severely harmed the ability of 

19 such farmers and small businesses to sustain 

20 their livelihoods; 

21 (B) sanctions on financial institutions that 

22 provide branch networks in Zimbabwe and 

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1 verely harmed such civil servants, pensioners, 

2 and the people of Zimbabwe; and 

3 (C) sanctions described in subparagraphs 

4 (A) and (B) have resulted in suppressed earn5 ings for the National Social Security Authority, 

6 the entity established by the Government of 

7 Zimbabwe to administer social security schemes 

8 in Zimbabwe, and consequently the Authority 

9 has not been able to competitively remunerate 

10 its pensioners. 

11 (2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—If the requirements 

12 described in paragraph (3) are met, it is the sense 

13 of Congress that— 

14 (A) sanctions described in paragraph (1) 

15 (A) and (B) should be lifted in order to allow 

16 financial institutions described in such para17 graph to assist communal farmers, civil serv18 ants, pensioners, and the people of Zimbabwe; 

19 and 

20 (B) technical assistance should be provided 

21 to such financial institutions to rebuild their ca22 pacity to gain access to international capital. 

23 (3) REQUIREMENTS.—The requirements re24 ferred to in paragraph (2) are the following: 


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1 (A) The Finance Ministry of Zimbabwe 

2 does not politicize lending or extending credit. 

3 (B) No individual who is subject to United 

4 States or European Union sanctions serves as 

5 a board member, advisor, or employee of any fi6 nancial institution in Zimbabwe. 

7 (C) No funds provided to Zimbabwe are 

8 made available to Zimbabwe’s Reserve Bank. 

9 SEC. 7. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR ZIMBABWE. 

10 The Secretary of the Treasury, acting through the 

11 Office of Technical Assistance, is authorized to provide 

12 technical assistance to the Zimbabwean Ministry of Fi13 nance and line ministries, as appropriate, relating to ac14 tivities to improve the Ministry Finance’s ability to cap15 ture, manage, and expend resources transparently to ad16 dress public and private sector needs in Zimbabwe. 

17 SEC. 8. DEBT RELIEF FOR ZIMBABWE. 

18 (a) DEBT RELIEF.—The Secretary of the Treasury 

19 shall— 

20 (1) forgive the debt of Zimbabwe held by any 

21 agency of the United States Government; and 

22 (2) in consultation with the Secretary of State, 

23 gather information on— 


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1 (A) the debt of Zimbabwe held by inter2 national financial institutions and private finan3 cial institutions; and 

4 (B) the feasibility and advisability of re5 structuring, rescheduling, or eliminating such 

6 debt in the future. 

7 (b) INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS.— 

8 The Secretary of the Treasury shall direct the United 

9 States Executive Director at each international financial 

10 institution of which the United States is a member to vote 

11 in favor of programs proposed or being considered by the 

12 institution for Zimbabwe. 

13 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

14 (1) INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITU15 TION.—The term ‘‘international financial institu16 tion’’ means each multilateral development bank and 

17 the International Monetary Fund. 

18 (2) MULTILATERAL DEVELOPMENT BANK.— 

19 The term ‘‘multilateral development bank’’ means— 

20 (A) the International Bank for Reconstruc21 tion and Development; 

22 (B) the International Development Asso23 ciation; 

24 (C) the International Finance Corporation; 


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1 (D) the Inter-American Development 

2 Bank; 

3 (E) the Asian Development Bank; 

4 (F) the Inter-American Investment Cor5 poration; 

6 (G) the African Development Bank; 

7 (H) the African Development Fund; 

8 (I) the European Bank for Reconstruction 

9 and Development; and 

10 (J) the Multilateral Investment Guarantee 

11 Agency. 

12 SEC. 9. REVIEW OF TARGETED SANCTIONS IN SUPPORT OF 

13 PEACE AND DEMOCRACY IN ZIMBABWE. 

14 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, restric15 tions against any person that are imposed pursuant to Ex16 ecutive Order 13288 (68 Fed. Reg. 11457–11461; relating 

17 to blocking property of persons undermining democratic 

18 processes or institutions in Zimbabwe) shall be removed 

19 when the President certifies to Congress that such per20 son— 

21 (1) has taken significant steps to help strength22 en democracy, respect human rights, and the rule of 

23 law in Zimbabwe; and 

24 (2) has played a constructive role in the imple25 mentation of the Global Political Agreement. 


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1 SEC. 10. REPORT. 

2 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact3 ment of this Act, the President shall transmit to Congress 

4 a report on the implementation of this Act, including a 

5 description of a comprehensive plan to address issues of 

6 human rights, democratization, and economic conditions 

7 in Zimbabwe. 

8 SEC. 11. OTHER PROVISIONS OF LAW SUPERSEDED. 

9 Each of the authorities contained in sections 3 

10 through 8 of this Act may be carried out notwithstanding 

11 any other provision of law. 

12 SEC. 12. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro14 priated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this 

15 Act. 

16 (b) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appropriated pursuant 

17 to the authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) 

18 are authorized to remain available until expended. 

Æ 


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