Zimbabwe
UN Women in action: Strategic insights and achievements
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Women community advocates are using their collective voice to demand quality social services in Mashonaland Central and West Provinces. Emboldened by the advocacy skills received through community awareness sessions and trainings on gender equality and women�s rights conducted by UN Women�s community-based civil society partners, women at the ward and district levels no longer sit passively waiting for change: �We go into our communities attending village meetings, borehole meetings and budget consultations at council sessions where budgets are made to ensure that the services being planned address women�s needs,� said one of the beneficiaries during the Mid-Term Review of the Country Office Strategic Note held in 2024 . Empowering women to actively participate in leadership and public life at both community and national levels has been a strategic focus of CO�s work in the thematic area of Governance and Participation in Public Life. The CO sought to increase women�s representation in governance through policy and advocacy initiatives, in partnership with women in positions of power and influence, and with women vying for political leadership positions. In 2023 elections, 22 women were directly elected for the 210 lower house seats out of the 70 (11%) women who contested against 637 male candidates.[1] While this was down from the 14% of women as candidates in 2018, the CO continues to broadened its strategy to focus on building women�s leadership skills at all levels in public and in private sector, at local and at national level. Targeted interventions equipped women with the skills to assert their rights and to demand accountability from leadership structures. �� There was no tap water, but at the present moment, water is readily available in our ward,� said one participant during a discussion with UN Women beneficiaries in Mashonaland West Province. �We united as women, wrote a petition and submitted it to the Council and that�s when they started to take action, and today, we have water.� These small footprints at community level contribute to SDG 5, GEWE. The women interviewed during the midterm review of the country office strategic note had their own stories of change to tell, illustrating how the CO�s work with community -based groups to strengthen women�s capacities for collective advocacy can make a difference: � There was an old beer hall that was no longer in use, and while men advocated for it to be revived, we as women recognized that children in the area were struggling with overcrowding at schools. We negotiated with the council for the beer hall to be transformed into a kindergarten school. It was not easy, but as women, once we began advocating, we never stepped back. Our persistence led to its successful conversion into a school�. This achievement demonstrates how our collective voice can bring meaningful change to our communities.�
The establishment of Zimbabwe�s first Safe-Market for women vendors. Located in an urban impoverished settlement, the Epworth Safe Market created a violence-free space for women to conduct their economic activities and incorporated a child-care space for women vendors. This innovation has been replicated by UN Women in the country's Matabeleland South Province in 2023, and the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development � secured its own funding from AfDB to replicate the violence-free and disability-friendly Safe Markets for Women model in two other major cities. The safe market initiative was also replicated by UN agencies and UN Women provided technical support. To date, 5 markets were rehabilitated in Harare, Matabeleland South and Manicaland provinces. This result contributes to the UNSDCF Outcome 3 (Prosperity) and to the SDG 5 target, 5.2. Notably the significance of this innovation in contributing to women�s economic empowerment and the elimination of violence against women gained further recognition when the Epworth Safe Market was showcased by the European Union in its 2022 EU-Africa Campaign and the Chairwoman of the market Committee was featured. The livelihood and economic resilience of 180 people, 90% women, was enhanced through access to market stalls, market and skills building initiatives. The model is illustrative also of the GBV-Humanitarian-Development Nexus programming approach used in the Spotlight Initiative to deliver interventions in a multi-hazard context exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The vendors in rehabilitated markets are benefitting through increased sales since the locals now feel more confident buying at the markets with hygiene practices in 2023 where the country is hit with cholera outbreak. An interview with one of the women from the market indicated an increase in the number of sales from less than $10 before cholera to $20 to $25 per day. The Safe Markets promote women�s right to leadership by placing their voices at the center of the decision-making in the design of the markets, and in the governance and operational structures. A women-led committee engages with the local authority on maintenance, safety & hygiene, and fee-structures for those operating stalls in the markets. The CO created a strong partnership with the micro finance institutions- Women�s Micro Finance Bank and Women�s Bank which provided financial services to the 60 women vendors. Partnerships were also created with Harare, Epworth, Chipinge and Umzingwane local authorities to implement the safe markets initiative. The partnership with local authorities was critical as it fostered sustainability and contributed to greater collaboration between the women vendors and the authorities, as access to markets is highly politicized and contested. The markets� infrastructure was integrated within existing local infrastructure to ensure sustainability of the markets and local ownership of the project.
Results and resources
Impact: All women and girls in Cameroon will fully enjoy and exercise their human rights, in a gender equal society, and meaningfully contribute to the country's sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development and EU integration
- Results overview
- Total resources
- Development results and resources
- Organizational results and resources
All women and girls in Cameroon will fully enjoy and exercise their human rights, in a gender equal society, and meaningfully contribute to the country's sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development and EU integrations
Resources allocated towards SDGs
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Our funding partners contributions
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| 2022 | |
|---|---|
| European Commission (Spotlight) | $1,295,312 2022
European Commission (Spotlight)OECD-DAC donor
Total contribution:$1,295,312
Development:$1,295,312(100%)
Humanitarian:$0(0%)
|
| Ireland | $52,939 2022
IrelandOECD-DAC donor
Total contribution:$52,939
Development:$52,939(100%)
Humanitarian:$0(0%)
|
| Japan | $599,156 2022
JapanOECD-DAC donor
Total contribution:$599,156
Development:$599,156(100%)
Humanitarian:$0(0%)
|
| Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) | $146,888 2022
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS)United Nations organization
Total contribution:$146,888
Development:$146,888(100%)
Humanitarian:$0(0%)
|
| United Nations COVID-19 Multi-Partner Trust Office Reponse | $126,738 2022
United Nations COVID-19 Multi-Partner Trust Office ReponseUnited Nations pooled fund
Total contribution:$126,738
Development:$126,738(100%)
Humanitarian:$0(0%)
|
| United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office | $8,223 2022
United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund OfficeUnited Nations pooled fund
Total contribution:$8,223
Development:$8,223(100%)
Humanitarian:$0(0%)
|