COMMITTEE: United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW)
AGENDA: Achieving Gender Equality and Women’s Rights
COUNTRY: Republic of Zimbabwe
DELEGATE’S NAME: Gunjan Atri
According to UN Women, gender equality is a fundamental human right and a prerequisite
for achieving sustainable development. In their report, they emphasize that empowering
women and girls not only benefits individuals but also contributes to the overall health and
productivity of families, communities, and nations.
(UN Women, 2021, para. 2)
Gender Equality in Republic of Zimbabwe: Since 2004, the government of Zimbabwe has
enacted the National Gender Policy to streamline gender in all development programs.
Furthermore, in 2013, we amended our Constitution to recognize women’s rights, economic
empowerment, and the inclusion of women. The enactment of the new constitution has
been a major milestone in women’s rights because it consolidates equality of men and
women before the law and requires equal access to resources and opportunities. In the
same year, the Gender-Responsive Economic Policy Management Initiative (GERPMI) was
created to ensure that “economic policies are formulated, designed and implemented in a
manner that considers the different roles and needs of all women, men, girls and boys in the
country. Over the last few decades, the government of Zimbabwe has ratified several
international frameworks that promote women’s rights and gender equality. These include
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (usually
known as CEDAW, or the Women’s Convention), signed in 1979, and the Protocol to the
African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, signed in
2003. These frameworks require the government to treat men and women equally in the
distribution of resources and opportunities.
Initiative for the Future: A good number of important bills pending in Zimbabwe are aimed
at addressing gender inequality, including the Marriage Amendment Bill as a measure to
curb child marriage; an amendment of the Domestic Violence Act, thereby improving
provisions for better protection for women against gender-based violence; the introduction
of an all-embracing Gender Equality Law; and amend the laws on labour to improve equal
rights among women within the workplace. These reforms are part of a more general policy
to enhance the presence of women in political decision-making, to protect their economic
rights, and to redress social imbalances.
Thank You
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
https://www.unwomen.org/en
https://zgc.co.zw/
https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2024/04/29/persistent-gender-
disparities-hinder-women-s-safety-and-productivity-in-afe-zimbabwe
Background Guide
