By Tinomudaishe Muzanenhamo
The United Nations Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, Dr Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda has called for stronger, coordinated efforts to advance gender equality in Zimbabwe.
Speaking at the end of her week-long official visit to the country on Friday, Dr Gumbonzvanda said discussions with government officials, civil society organisations, development partners, the private sector and young women leaders in Harare and Bulawayo revealed notable progress alongside enduring gaps in women’s empowerment.
“Zimbabwe has so many good policies that advance the empowerment and rights of all women in the world, the gender policy, the work on ending violence against women,” she said.
She praised recent legal reforms including the enactment of the Marriages Act and welcomed Zimbabwe’s bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Dr Gumbonzvanda also encouraged increased domestic resource mobilisation and stronger regional leadership through the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU) while stressing the importance of signing the AU Convention on women’s rights.
However, she warned that young women continue to face serious challenges including harassment, digital violence and high levels of unemployment.
Dr Gumbonzvanda said UN Women would support efforts to expand digital literacy, skills development and leadership opportunities to ensure young women are not excluded from economic and technological transformation.
“We appreciate the pathway, and we encourage the pathway to continue to have an inclusive approach for now, until there is full access for women to benefit from technology, but it’s really good to see a clear commitment that is there to digitalisation,” she said.
Civil society organisations and women’s rights groups used the visit to call for closer collaboration with government, survivor-centred responses to gender-based violence and the meaningful inclusion of women and girls in decision-making processes.
Development partners including Canada and Ireland reiterated their backing for Zimbabwe’s gender equality agenda emphasising the need for sustainability, accountability and innovative financing beyond traditional donor cycles.
Dr Gumbonzvanda urged government, civil society, the private sector and the international community to work together to accelerate progress towards gender equality in Zimbabwe.
