Harare, (New Ziana) – Zimbabwe has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment, highlighting its progress in establishing robust national mechanisms to support these efforts.
Speaking at the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States of America, Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Monica Mutsvangwa, emphasized Zimbabwe’s dedication to accelerating the implementation of all agreed international action plans in regard to women advancement.
“Zimbabwe is honoured to participate in this Ministerial Round Table discussion, affirming that dedicated, robust, and functional mechanisms to promote gender equality and empower women and girls are critical to accelerate the aspirations of the Beijing Platform for Action and the Sustainable Development Goals,” she said.
Mutsvangwa highlighted Zimbabwe’s progress in establishing national mechanisms for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
The Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development plays a crucial role in coordinating the advancement, tracking, monitoring, and reporting of gender equality and women empowerment.
The ministry is decentralized to the ward level, ensuring that its services reach even the most remote areas. In addition to the ministry’s efforts, three Parliamentary standing Committees oversee gender equality initiatives, providing a strong foundation for promoting women’s rights.
These committees are the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, the Thematic Committee on Gender and Development, and the Portfolio Committee on Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development.
The Zimbabwe Gender Commission, a Constitutional Independent Commission, has also been established to monitor and promote the achievement of gender equality and women empowerment in the country.
This commission plays a vital role in ensuring that Zimbabwe’s laws and policies align with its constitutional aspirations and international undertakings.
Mutsvangwa also shared Zimbabwe’s experiences and good practices in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.
The country has made significant progress in anchoring gender equality initiatives on strong policy and legal foundations.
This has involved institutionalizing gender equality and women’s empowerment in national development strategies and continuously reviewing policies and legal instruments to eliminate gender disparities. Zimbabwe has also reinvigorated the System of Gender-Focal Persons to Enhance Influence and Effectiveness.
“In Zimbabwe, Directors of mainstreaming, inclusivity and wellness have been appointed across all sectors with the responsibility to strengthen the institutionalisation of gender mainstreaming in their sectors,” she said.
The country has also fostered strong coordination with Civil Society Organisations in the formulation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of policies, strategies, and action plans.
This collaboration has enabled the government to tap into the expertise and resources of civil society, ensuring that its efforts to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment are effective and sustainable.
Furthermore, Zimbabwe has recognized the importance of building alliances with the private sector in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.
By partnering with private sector entities, the government has been able to leverage resources, expertise, and networks to support its efforts to empower women and girls.
“The government has also established mechanisms focused on addressing the unique challenges faced by women and girls.” For instance, the Zimbabwe Micro-Finance Bank (ZWMB) was established to promote women’s financial inclusion.
Women’s desks have also been established across commercial banking institutions to enhance women’s access to essential financial services, support, and resources tailored to their needs. “In response to gender-based violence, Zimbabwe has established safe shelters, One Stop centres, Victim Friendly Units, victim-friendly courts, and virtual courts.” These initiatives provide a comprehensive support system for survivors of gender-based violence, ensuring that they receive the necessary care, protection, and justice.
“In promoting women’s participation in electoral processes, Zimbabwe, through the Zimbabwe Gender Commission, established a Gender Observatory to monitor the fulfilment of gender equality goals, targets, and commitments in elections.” The government has also strengthened the implementation of Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) by adopting robust accountability systems and tools.
This has enabled the government to track its spending on gender equality initiatives and ensure that its budget allocations are aligned with its commitments to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.
In addition, Zimbabwe has recognized the importance of building alliances with men for gender equality promotion. By engaging men in the promotion of gender equality, the government aims to create a more inclusive and equitable society where both men and women can thrive.
The government has also emphasized the need for continuous capacity building on gender mainstreaming at all levels.
This has involved providing training and capacity-building programs for government officials, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to ensure that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Mutsvangwa highlighted the importance of enhancing the collection and use of gender-disaggregated data, as well as mainstreaming gender within the national statistical system.
This has enabled the government to track its progress in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment and make informed decisions about its policies and programs.
Finally, the government has emphasized the need to increase women’s representation in decision-making as an accountability mechanism to strengthen gender responsive institutions and to guarantee the development gender responsive policies.
New Ziana
