Gender Policy: Milestone towards achieving gender equality in Zim

THE launch of the revised National Gender Policy on July 6, 2017 was a truly remarkable and historic event in Zimbabwe’s journey towards a gender-just society. It was the culmination of an extensive and inclusive consultation process with Government institutions, citizens of Zimbabwe, development partners, civil society organisations, academia and the private sector.

With financial support from our partners, the UN is honoured to have partnered with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development in the production of well-researched thematic background papers and nationwide consultations to support the development of the policy.

Aligned to the 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe, which itself is anchored on a firm foundation for pursuing gender equality and equity in Zimbabwe, the launch of new National Gender Policy is very timely.

It dovetails with the implementation of Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development Goals that recognises gender equality as a fundamental right and a driver of progress across all the development goals.

The Policy is in line with the African Union Agenda 2063, which aims to achieve “full gender equality in all spheres of life” through removing “all forms of gender discrimination in the social, cultural, economic, and political spheres.”

The policy facilitates the domestication of the revised SADC Gender and Development Protocol which Zimbabwe has recently signed.

The promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women is central to the mandate of all UN Agencies and, under the coordination of UN Women, this work is intrinsic to our development approach.

These efforts include advocating women’s and girls’ equal rights, combating discriminatory practices and challenging the roles and stereotypes that affect inequalities and exclusion.

The Sustainable Development Goals identify gender equality, centred in human rights, as a development goal on its own and as vital to accelerating sustainable development. The Zimbabwe Gender Policy is anchored on this very principle as it recognises gender equality as the cornerstone for achieving equitable and sustainable economic and social development.

In the realm of policy, the UN has been working closely with the Ministry in the initiation of the Gender and Economic Policy Management Initiative and providing advisory support for the establishment of a Women’s Micro-Finance Bank, to name but a few of the areas of collaboration.

The UN commends the launch of this National Gender Policy as a significant milestone in the Government of Zimbabwe’s progressive march towards a common agenda and vision for achieving gender equality.

Indeed, the policy’s vision of building “a gender just society in which all men and women enjoy equality and equity and participate as equal partners in the development process of the country” is bold, smart and compelling.

The ministry is particularly commended for the inclusion of a thematic area on the gender dimensions of people living with disability, an area which requires all our concerted efforts and commitment.

This is in line with the core SDG principle of leaving no one behind and with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

There is a growing body of evidence to support the case for renewed investments in gender equality and women empowerment to achieve sustainable development.

A key finding in the 2016 UNDP Africa Human Development Report, for example, is that sub-Saharan Africa loses around $95 billion per year — or roughly five percent of the combined GDP — due to gender inequality. This greatly impedes the continent’s efforts for economic growth.

At the global level, experts say that levelling the playing field for women at work also positively impacts the growth and development of countries. Quoting a McKinsey report, the Commission on the Status of Women highlights that a scenario in which women play an identical role as men in labour markets could add as much as $28 trillion, or 26 percent, to global annual GDP in 2025.

This impact is roughly equivalent to the size of the combined US and Chinese economies today.

These examples signal that a policy and programmatic focus on harnessing the unused potential of women is an important economic and social driver for more inclusive and sustainable development. The new National Gender Policy does precisely that and we commend the Government of Zimbabwe for spearheading this work.

Now that the policy is in place, how can we ensure that this policy is truly effective and delivers the desired results? Our observations are two-fold: First, there is need to focus on implementation, supported by robust monitoring and evaluation.

We are aware of the efforts by the ministry to follow through with implementation of the policy. In this regard, UN Women has already supported the ministry to establish a Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Framework which identifies key gender indicators for each line ministry.

The United Nations stands ready to support the Government further in ensuring a successful roll out and monitoring of the policy.

Second, we have to forge strong part- nerships. Given the need for collective action, implementation needs to benefit from strong links amongst all stakeholders — relevant line ministries, development partners, community-based organisations, private sector, academia and media, etc.

The inclusive nature that led to the development of this policy lays a strong foundation for such partnerships. Continued popularisation and regular updates on implementation progress will help further nurture these partnerships.

It is my sincere hope that the implementation of this National Gender Policy will contribute to meeting the aspirations of Zimbabwe’s women and men as enshrined in the Constitution. The UN Agencies’ remain committed to work with the Government of Zimbabwe and other partners to ensure that the ambitious goals of this policy are translated into reality. ◆ Mr Georges van Montfort is the Country Director, UNDP Zimbabwe. This is an abridged version of a statement that he delivered on the occasion to mark the launch of the revised National Gender Policy, held in Harare on July 6, 2017.