Washington, D.C., partner Tom McDonald, who heads the firm's Government Policy Practice Group and was U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe from 1997-2001, has been invited to be a speaker at the Voice of America (VOA) seminar, "Zimbabwe's Global Political Agreement . . . One Year On," to be held September 15, 2009, at the VOA headquarters in Washington, D.C.
McDonald, along with Briggs Bomba, Director of Campaigns, Africa Action and Marian Tupy, Policy Analyst, The Cato Institute, will discuss the Global Political Agreement (GPA) for power-sharing, signed on September 15, 2008, by the leaders of Zimbabwe's three main political parties. While many observers described the deal as flawed, the GPA has turned out to be a surprisingly effective framework for power-sharing—though the work of the "inclusive" government has been hampered by lingering unresolved issues and alleged noncompliance with the GPA's terms. McDonald and the other panelists will examine the GPA as a roadmap and benchmark for progress—or lack of it—by the unity government.