Claim: A Local newspaper reported that the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), the biggest external funder of legal projects in Zimbabwe, has withdrawn its financial assistance to the country in protest over a proposed legislation commonly known as the PVO Bill, stipulating stringent registration and operational requirements for civil society organisations.
Is this true or false
Verdict: False
While it is true that SIDA has cancelled some of its funding commitments for some local projects, the agency refuted the above claim as “misleading” and “divergent from the truth,” saying this had nothing to do with the Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Amendment Bill.
In a press release dated 30 March 2024, the Embassy of Sweden in Harare said its reasons for not renewing support to the Legal Resources Foundation (LRF) and other partner organisations “is not in any way related to the ongoing deliberations in the parliament on the new version of the PVO Bill as purported by the article.”
It added that SIDA’s decision was “driven by strategic imperative to create space for the pursuit of new strategic areas particularly within (the) Economic Empowerment and Environment and Climate Change”.
The statement said the embassy was currently discussing with a number of Zimbabwean government ministries regarding its new strategic development support focus.
Sources:
The Embassy of Sweden in Zimbabwe
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