Story by Memory Chamisa
GOVERNMENT together with development partners, has launched a joint programme to promote gender equality and women’s rights in Zimbabwe.
The initiative aims to strengthen the National Gender Policy and advance global commitments on gender equality, particularly Sustainable Development Goal 5. While discussions on gender equality have traditionally focused on empowering women and girls, the conversation now increasingly includes men and boys.
This comes after the joint launch of the sustainable gains accountability to gender equality and women’s rights in Zimbabwe, made possible by the Government of Zimbabwe, the European Union, UN agencies, as well as the Embassy of Switzerland.
The Ambassadors who spoke about this joint programme highlighted the importance of the inclusion of men and boys in gender equality and gender-based violence initiatives.
“This three year joint programme by the Government of Zimbabwe, the European Union, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and the United Nations to accelerate the achievement of a gender just society free from all forms of Gender-Based Violence, where women and girls fully contribute towards the attainment of an upper-middle-income society by 2030 comes at a pivotal moment when we want men to be part of the dialogue to ensure everyone is equal,” European Union Ambassador to Zimbabwe Ms Katrin Hagemann said.
“The conversation must not only involve women but must also look at men. The mantra of leaving no one behind must include males in the implementation process and conversation on ending gender-based violence,” United Nations Country Representative Mr Edward Kallon said.
“While we celebrate this progress, we recognise significant work remains. Gender inequality continues to impede economic growth, social justice and human development in Zimbabwe. Sustained effort and resources are required to close implementation gaps and protect the gains already achieved,” Swiss Ambassador to Zimbabwe His Excellency Stéphane Rey said.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa, highlighted some of the key areas the government is looking forward to partnering with UN agencies and the EU.
“The launch of this Joint Programme today is therefore a call for immediate and accelerated implementation: We are all geared to swiftly operationalise activities to convert investments into measurable improvements in the lives of women and girls across Zimbabwe.
“A heartfelt thank you to our partners and to all those who continue to work toward gender equality and the protection of women and girls. Particularly, we acknowledge the European Union and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. We particularly thank these partners for the financial and technical support they provided to the initial Spotlight Initiative Programme, which made many of the gains we celebrate today and their renewed commitment to supporting initiatives that will sustain those gains and deepen impact across Zimbabwe,” she said.
The joint programme comes against the backdrop of the spotlight initiative that ran from 2019 to 2023.
The spotlight initiative introduced programmes such as victim-friendly systems that were put in place at police stations and courts; safe markets that were built in Harare and Masvingo, as well as one-stop centres for gender-based violence survivors.
