On 18 November 2025, H.E. Ambassador Paul Beresford-Hill held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Ambassador Taonga Mushayavanhu, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Zimbabwe to the United Nations. Ambassador Beresford-Hill opened the discussion by recalling the shared historical origins of the Sovereign Order of Malta and the Venerable Order of St. John, while Ambassador Mushayavanhu acknowledged the longstanding presence of St. John Ambulance in Zimbabwe and expressed appreciation for humanitarian cooperation through Catholic medical institutions.
Ambassador Beresford-Hill provided an overview of the Order’s sovereign status and humanitarian identity, highlighting its diplomatic relations with 115 States and recent high-level engagement, including the visit of the President of South Africa to the Order’s headquarters in Rome. He also explained the Order’s diversified funding structure and its long-standing partnerships with governments and private donors.
He outlined the Order’s humanitarian priorities across multiple regions, including the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem, humanitarian assistance in Gaza, medical support for Venezuelan refugees in Colombia, and health programmes in Syria, South Sudan, Türkiye, and other crisis-affected areas.
The discussion turned to initiatives relevant to Zimbabwe, including the Order’s “doctor-to-doctor” telemedicine programme, developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to connect hospitals with medical specialists in Europe and the United States. Ambassador Beresford-Hill also highlighted the Order’s expanding first-aid training initiatives, recalling their historical roots in early programmes for railway workers in Rhodesia. Ambassador Mushayavanhu emphasized that delayed emergency response in remote areas continues to result in preventable fatalities in Zimbabwe and underscored the importance of first-aid education in schools and among transport operators.
Both sides expressed interest in maintaining dialogue and continuing exchanges on matters of mutual interest, underscoring the value of sustained communication.
