Bulawayo, (New Ziana)-There is need to integrate climate adaptation strategies into family focused policies to protect vulnerable households, particularly those dependent on farming, a Cabinet Minister has said.
Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said this at the national launch of the International Day of Families commemorations at the White City Stadium in Bulawayo on Thursday.
She said climate resilience should be central to policy-making to prevent harmful coping mechanisms.
The the United Nations proclaimed International Day of Families in 1993 to highlight the critical role that families play in societal stability and sustainable development.
This year, the theme “Family-Oriented Policies for Sustainable Development: Towards the Second World Summit for Social Development,” encouraging nations to strengthen families as the backbone of national progress.
Mutsvangwa warned that without proactive measures, families facing climate-induced hardships may resort to desperate measures, including child marriages and crime.
“As stakeholders, we need to ensure that our policies help mitigate against families taking up detrimental survival strategies such as marrying off children and engaging in crime due to challenges brought about by climate change,” she said.
She said in Zimbabwe, families are the bedrock of culture, resilience, and unity as they nurture children, preserve traditions and provide support systems that help individuals overcome challenges.
“Whether in rural or urban areas, families sustain our communities through love, shared values, and collective effort,” she said.
Mutsvangwa noted that the Zimbabwean Constitution mandates the state to protect and support families, a principle embedded in national development frameworks like the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and the national vision to become an upper middle income society by 2030 (Vision 2030).
“This Clause legally obligates State and non-State actors to factor family needs in developmental planning and implementation procedures. Furthermore, family protection has been mainstreamed in the country’s key development and governance frameworks,” she she said.
She said this year the commemorations cast a special focus on the three pillars of social development, namely poverty eradication, full productive employment and decent work for all as well as social inclusion resonates deeply with the country`s development priorities.
Mutsvangwa said her Ministry is implementing skills training and funding initiatives, including the Zimbabwe Community Development Fund (ZCDF), Women Development Fund (WDF), as well as supporting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Corporation (SMEDCO) and the Zimbabwe Women Micro-Finance Bank.
Earlier, Mutsvangwa toured exhibitions by SMEs, Non-Governmental Organisations, and government departments.
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