Outcome ZWE_D_1.1

By 2026, all people in Zimbabwe, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized, benefit from more accountable institutions and systems for rule of law, human rights and access to justice (CF outcome 4, SP outcome 1).

In 2025, Zimbabwe made notable progress toward strengthening accountable institutions and systems for rule of law, human rights, and access to justice, contributing to the UNSDCF outcome. Quota systems and affirmative action continued to expand women’s representation across parliament, cabinet, and local government; however, substantive influence remains limited due to persistent structural barriers, discriminatory norms, political violence, and resource constraints. Women constitute 52% of the population yet secured only 22 of 210 elected seats in the lower house and 13.3% of local council positions, underscoring the need for deeper systemic reforms. Throughout the year, government institutions and independent commissions advanced gender-responsive governance by integrating gender considerations into planning, budgeting, and service delivery. These reforms strengthened accountability and improved policy responsiveness in key social sectors, directly contributing to the protection and fulfilment of women’s rights. However, sustainability challenges remain due to limited financing and fragmented support. UN Women contributed to national efforts through targeted leadership development for women and young women, enhancing their capacities in political participation, peacebuilding, and human rights. Support to the implementation of the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security strengthened institutional understanding of WPS obligations and improved coordination among justice and security actors, consistent with NDS1 and SP Outputs 4.1 and 2.2. UN Women also convened a broad multi-stakeholder coalition including parliament, government, independent commissions, civil society, and women’s groups to advance advocacy for a Gender Equality Law. This collective effort strengthened national accountability mechanisms and reinforced momentum for legislative reforms aligned with constitutional and international human rights standards. Improvements in coordination among justice sector actors and independent commissions enhanced gender-sensitive complaint handling and expanded access to redress for women and marginalized groups. These interventions contributed to a more responsive justice system, supporting SP Output 2.2 on access to justice and human rights protection. By 2026, these efforts are expected to consolidate gains toward an inclusive governance and justice system in which all people in Zimbabwe especially the most marginalized benefit from stronger accountability, enhanced rights protections, and expanded access to justice, in line with the UNSDCF priorities.

By 2026, all people in Zimbabwe, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized, benefit from more accountable institutions and systems for rule of law, human rights and access to justice (CF outcome 4, SP outcome 1).

The elections results indicated the need for continued engagement on WPP. Notably there was a regression in the number of female candidates that contested for National Assembly Seats from 18% in 2018 to 11% in 2023. Despite the highly sensitive and polarised environment presented by the 2023 elections the ZCO supported key initiatives that galvanised women’s organisations and facilitated safe feminist spaces to advocate for women’s increased participation in national decision-making and peaceful elections. Zimbabwe succeeded in hosting peaceful elections, with the UN and its partners playing a pivotal role in this achievement. The UNDP, UN Women, and UNESCO, through the ZIM-ECO II project, supported by financial contributions from the European Union, Japan, and France, not only supported the capacity of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission but also ensured the conduct of peaceful elections. From these elections, several Observer Missions noted that the elections were generally conducted in a peaceful manner, however, they noted some challenges that need to be addressed and proffered recommendations for strengthening the credibility and transparency of elections in Zimbabwe. UN Women in partnership with other UN Agencies continued to provide extensive support to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission for voter education, reaching an estimated 80% of listeners through weekly radio programmes alone. As per the SADC Election Commission Forum preliminary statement, “Stakeholders commended ZEC for the quality of the voter education curriculum and quality of packaging of voter information which showed significant improvement”. UN Women also invested in enhancing the capacity of media stakeholders, to ensure gender responsive reporting. Another major focus of UN Women support to the election was the contribution to the prevention of violence and to a conducive environment for the elections. Furthermore, the UN Women reinforced the capacity of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission by facilitating the establishment of the Gender Observatory. This crucial coordination mechanism monitors the gender responsiveness of electoral processes, comprising over 15 institutions from diverse sectors. The collaboration also involved setting up a call centre and implementing an electronic case management system. Throughout the 2023 elections, the Gender Observatory played a pivotal role in identifying and documenting key gender issues, offering recommendations to address disparities and foster an inclusive electoral process, and highlighting the significance of strengthening the Gender Commission's capabilities in this context.

By 2026, all people in Zimbabwe, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized, benefit from more accountable institutions and systems for rule of law, human rights and access to justice (CF outcome 4, SP outcome 1).

The Government of Zimbabwe has demonstrated its commitment to advancing women’s and girls’ participation in governance, peacebuilding, and political processes through the launch of the Women, Peace, and Security National Action Plan (WPS NAP) 1325 in 2024. This strategic framework, rooted in the principles of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, aims to strengthen the role of women in peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and security. By enhancing women's participation at all levels of decision-making, including peace negotiations, conflict prevention, and post-conflict reconstruction, the WPS NAP 1325 seeks to foster inclusive and sustainable peace agreements. UN Women played a critical role in building the capacity of partners to develop, adopt, and launch the NAP, marking a significant milestone in promoting women’s leadership in peace and security. Despite the progressive provisions for gender equality enshrined in Zimbabwe's Constitution, challenges persist in translating these commitments into practice. Structural barriers, such as low representation of women in key decision-making platforms across government, the economy, and society, remain evident, as reflected in the outcomes of the 2023 harmonized elections. Persistent gender norms and harmful practices, including high levels of violence against women and child marriages, further hinder progress toward gender equality. In the health sector, women and girls face adverse outcomes, including high maternal mortality rates, unwanted pregnancies that lead to school dropouts and unsafe abortions, all of which have long-term negative impacts. These gaps between policy commitments and practical implementation underscore the urgent need to enhance accountability among policymakers and duty bearers in addressing gender inequality. Legislative intervention is recommended to establish a comprehensive Gender Equality Law that clearly defines obligations to eliminate discrimination and promote gender equality in all spheres of life in Zimbabwe. Such a law would also include accountability mechanisms, empowering rights holders to exercise their agency. To advance this agenda, UN Women strengthened the capacity of six key partners—the Zimbabwe Gender Commission Technical Working Group, MUSASA Project, Women’s Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence (WALPE), Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCOZ), and the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) Zimbabwe—to advocate for the adoption of a Gender Equality Law. This initiative supports the development of gender-responsive legislation aimed at increasing gender parity in women’s leadership roles in public life. As a direct outcome of these efforts, partners such as WCOZ, ZCC, and WALPE conducted community consultations on the proposed law, fostering grassroots engagement and building momentum for legislative reforms to advance gender equality. A Gender Equality Law is an outstanding recommendation of the concluding remarks of the CEDAW Committee to Zimbabwe’s 6h periodic report. In the next report, the Government will be expected to report on progress made.

By 2026, all people in Zimbabwe, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized, benefit from more accountable institutions and systems for rule of law, human rights and access to justice (CF outcome 4, SP outcome 1).

The Government of Zimbabwe has demonstrated its commitment to the participation of Women in peace processes by developing a draft costed National Action Plan (NAP) on UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. This commitment is inviting women to meaningfully participate in the peace processes. If adopted and successfully implemented, the NAP will increase women’s access and effective participation in peace mediation and negotiation in the country. The draft NAP was developed through an inclusive process, led by the Government. The development of the draft NAP is an outcome of a long and protracted process where Government buys in, ownership and leadership started as far back as 2016. The challenges of getting the Government to develop the NAP included low understanding of the application of 1325, sensitivities to peace and security issues especially related to political violence in the context of Zimbabwe’s political climate. Through targeted advocacy, strategic engagements and research by UN Women, the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development and the Ministry of Defence and War Veteran Affairs publicly officially announced their intention to develop the NAP and for the first time, Zimbabwe now has a draft costed NAP on 1325. The ZCO replicated the structures and process learnt in developing the NAP 1325 in the support currently being given to the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation in developing the NAP on Youth, Peace, and Security. A creative innovation tied to this result was the training of Members of Parliament and the development of a Handbook on the role of Parliament on 1325. This will ensure that Parliament as a separate arm of Government can exercise its oversight role to ensure that the Executive finalises and implements the NAP. This capacitation of Parliamentarians will enable them to exercise their legislative, oversight and representative role on the implementation of 1325 in Zimbabwe once it is adopted.