Harare (New Ziana)-The United Nations Women is committed to working with the government and other stakeholders in Zimbabwe to reform policies which inflame gender-based discrimination, an official has said.

UN Women country representative Fatou Lo said this on Wednesday at an occasion to mark the 75th anniversary of the declaration for human rights- titled Human Rights 75.

Lo said the UN Women is dedicated to fight against gender-based discrimination.

“UN Women is committed to working with government institutions, national human rights institutions, civil society and other stakeholders in Zimbabwe to reform discriminatory laws and policies which allow gender-based discrimination and bring them in line with the international human rights law,” she said.

She said it was disheartening to note that women around the world including Zimbabwe continue to suffer human rights violations throughout their lives, and realizing their rights has not always been a priority.

“In view of some of these imbalances, no meaningful social contract is ever possible without the active and equal participation of women and girls. Equal participation in leadership, economic inclusion, and gender-based balanced decision making are simply better for everyone, men and women alike,” she said.

The United Nations, said Lo, has a long history of addressing women’s rights and around the world much progress has been made by some governments including Zimbabwe in securing women’s rights in recent decades.

“However, important gaps remain, and women’s realities are constantly changing, with new manifestations of discrimination against women regularly emerging,” she said.

Speaking at the same occasion, UN resident coordinator Edward Kallon said rights violations reverberate across borders and across generations.

“This can be, must be, collectively overcome. As the world faces challenges, new and ongoing pandemics, conflicts, exploding inequalities, moral bankruptcy, global financial system collapse, racism, climate change- the values and rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provide guideposts for our collective actions that do not leave anyone behind,” he said.

The Universal declaration of human rights is a foundational blueprint for taking concrete actions to stand up for human rights including women’s rights and tackle pressing social, economic and political issues of today.

New Ziana