UN-Women effectively leverages and expands its partnerships, communications, and advocacy capabilities to increase support for and financing of the gender equality agenda, while securing sustainable resourcing for the delivery of its own mandate.
The CO enhanced its strategic influence on government messaging and commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment across multiple sectors. The CO provided targeted technical and policy support to key government entities, including the Ministry of Women Affairs, Parliament, the Zimbabwe electoral Commission, and the Zimbabwe Gender Commission, strengthening institutional capacity to advance gender-responsive policies and initiatives.
In collaboration with embassies, media institutions, women’s rights organizations, and private sector stakeholders, the CO successfully implemented gender equality programs and communicated key gender equality messages. These efforts reached diverse audiences across various sectors, leveraging partnerships to amplify advocacy efforts.
Through strategic advocacy process such as the CSO and Beijing+30 processes, the CO directly engaged over 150 delegates, fostering dialogue and commitment to gender equality. Additionally, the CO organized and participated in high-profile events, including International Women’s Day, International Rural Women’s Day, and the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaigns. These events highlighted critical gender-based violence (GBV) issues and strengthened public awareness.
To further increase public knowledge and sectoral awareness of gender equality and GBV, the CO spearheaded multimedia campaigns and exhibitions, including its presence at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair. These initiatives focused on promoting support for gender equality, as well as enhancing safety and security for women and girls in the home, public spaces, and during elections. These efforts significantly advanced advocacy and raised awareness of gender equality priorities in Zimbabwe.
UN-Women strategically plans for and transforms its business model to deliver impact at scale, through agile and ethical leadership
rooted in a continuous improvement culture
The CO continues to strategically plan and transform its business model to achieve scalable and sustainable impact through agile and ethical leadership. This transformation has been facilitated by implementing recovery strategies, enhancing staff capacities through participation in Regional and HQ-led trainings, and adopting innovative tools and practices. Key trainings attended by Programme, Finance, and M&E colleagues include Quantum, PGAMS, and continuous data review for the Business Operations Strategy (BOS), ensuring timely and data-driven decision-making.
The CO has integrated cross-cutting priorities such as Gender-Responsive Procurement (GRP), disability inclusion, and gender parity across all operational and programmatic levels. These considerations are embedded in procurement processes, human resource management, and program design to ensure inclusive and equitable outcomes. Through these strategic efforts, the CO is positioned to deliver impactful and responsive initiatives while upholding principles of accountability and inclusivity.
With its unique and inclusive culture, UN-Women is an employer of choice with a diverse and highly performing cadre of personnel that embodies UN values.
To ensure a diverse and high-performing workforce, the CO implemented inclusive and competitive recruitment processes throughout the reporting period. These processes were characterized by transparent procedures, rigorous evaluation mechanisms, and comprehensive background checks. For certain contract types, an independent review board was also engaged to assess and provide additional scrutiny to the recruitment process. These measures aimed to strengthen the quality of staff selection, promoting diversity and ensuring that qualified and capable individuals are recruited to support the CO's goals and objectives.
UN-Women efficiently and effectively discharges of all business processes that advance integrated delivery of its mandate at HQ, Regional and Country levels, including through shared services.
The Country Office (CO) enhanced programming quality by integrating lessons learned from the design and implementation of programs and projects, as well as from evaluations conducted in 2024 and earlier. Additionally, the CO implemented recommendations from these evaluations, along with insights from the midterm review of the Strategic Note (SN) conducted in 2024 and the mid-year review. The CO also contributed financially to the UNSDCF evaluation process. The Mid-Term Review (MTR) of the UN Women Zimbabwe Country Office (ZCO) Strategic Note (SN) 2022–2026 assessed the progress, effectiveness, and challenges encountered midway through the implementation cycle. The review focused on three key thematic areas: governance and participation in public life, ending violence against women, and women’s economic empowerment. It also examined cross-cutting issues such as intersectionality, gender statistics, and institutional strengthening. A mixed-methods approach was employed for the MTR, utilizing desk reviews, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and a consultative workshop to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive evaluation process.The review of the SN will enhance the capacity of UN Women to discharge all business processes effectively and efficiently.