Region:Asia Pacific
Current UN Women Plan Period Afghanisthan:2018-2022
World Bank Income Classification:Low Income
The World Bank classifies economies for analytical purposes into four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high income. For this purpose it uses gross national income (GNI) per capita data in U.S. dollars, converted from local currency using the World Bank Atlas method, which is applied to smooth exchange rate fluctuations.
Least Developed Country:Yes
Since 1971, the United Nations has recognized LDCs as a category of States that are deemed highly disadvantaged in their development process, for structural, historical and also geographical reasons. Three criteria are used: per capita income, human assets, and economic vulnerability.
Gender Inequality Index:0.575
GII is a composite metric of gender inequality using three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market. A low GII value indicates low inequality between women and men, and vice-versa.
Gender Development Index:0.723
GDI measures gender inequalities in achievement in three basic dimensions of human development: health, education, and command over economic resources.
Population:209,497,025
Source of population data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision
Male:19,976,265 (9.5%)
Female:189,520,760 (90.5%)
outcome XM-DAC-41146-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).
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.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-ZWE_D_1.2
UN system in Zimbabwe is coherently contributes to progress on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls
The UNCT in Zimbabwe has exceeded the common global financial target for UNCT allocations to GEWE with a staggering 70% total allocation to gender. Following training sessions, an analysis of the UNCT financial contribution to gender against the global target was done which showed that in 2023, 89% of sub-outputs of the JWP were coded as GEM 2 and GEM 3. The CO communicated and made visible the gender equality results emanating from the UN Wide System. The UNCT compiled a UNCT SWAP Gender Scorecard annual report which showed progress in the area of financing, in the reporting year the CO led an interagency capacity strengthening session on standardizing the application of the Gender Equality Marker.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-ZWE_D_2.1
By 2026, all people in Zimbabwe, especially the most vulnerable and marginalised, benefit from more inclusive and sustainable economic growth with decent employment opportunities
During the reporting year, significant efforts were made by key stakeholders and the government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development to foster income security, decent work, and economic autonomy for women. This includes creation of an enabling environment through reviewing and updating the Broad-Based Women Economic Empowerment Framework (BBWEEF) and the National Gender Policy as well as notable efforts towards gender responsive budgeting. Key barriers to women's economic empowerment, nonetheless, remain in the form of risks related to the political economy, monetary policy fragility, extreme weather events, as well as negative social norms which hinder progress of women on the economic front and keep their livelihoods at a micro level. As a result, women continue to bear the brunt of economic decline and poverty in Zimbabwe. During the reporting year, significant efforts were made by key stakeholders and the government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development to foster income security, decent work, and economic autonomy for women.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-ZWE_D_3.1
By 2026, all people in Zimbabwe, especially women and girls and those in the most vulnerable and marginalised communities, benefit from equitable and quality social services and protection. (UNSCDF Outcome 1)
The government continued to show its commitment to ending violence against women in Zimbabwe. This was demonstrated through the continued implementation of the HLPC with several dialogues and convenings being held to build awareness amongst stakeholders. To ensure laws and policies are adopted to achieve gender equality, the Government of Zimbabwe formulated a National Gender Based Violence Strategy (2023 – 2030) which provides a guiding framework for the national prevention and response to GBV in Zimbabwe and a National Gender Policy. The Strategy is aligned with government priorities on eradication of GBV and was informed by and aligned with the HLPC. The CO and other partners facilitated creation of an enabling environment for increasing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) through supporting the MWACSMED to develop the National Gender Policy and the National GBV Strategy. The government of Zimbabwe took concrete steps to measure the gap in the status of men and women and report on progress made in meeting international and regional commitments on gender equality, as well as assessing the progress they made in implementing policies aimed at promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. An Africa Gender and Development Index (AGDI) for Zimbabwe constructed in 2023 will form part of the reporting and monitoring system for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, into the future. Although significant progress and efforts have been made towards the reduction and elimination of GBV and harmful practices, challenges remain including inadequate implementation of GBV related laws and policies due to weak accountability mechanisms, human and financial resources capacity constraints among GBV stakeholders and service providers, negative patriarchal values, attitudes and practices; inadequate funding of the GBV national response; weak coordination of the national GBV response; and limited awareness of GBV laws, rights and availability of services leading to poor help seeking behaviour.Showing 1 - 4 of 4
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