Together for change: a collaborative effort to advance Generation Equality in Zimbabwe

Generation Equality Commitment Makers, government officials, civil society organizations and private sector representatives met in Zimbabwe at the Generation Equality Commitment Makers Meeting on 27 February 2025. Photo: UN Women Zimbabwe

In a significant step towards advancing gender equality, Zimbabwe hosted its first-ever Generation Equality Commitment Makers Meeting on 27 February 2025. Co-hosted by the Government of Zimbabwe and UN Women, the event brought together commitment makers, government officials, civil society organizations and private sector representatives to review progress, share lessons, and strategize on implementation of the Generation Equality agenda beyond 2026.

This inaugural meeting marked an important moment for Zimbabwe's participation in the Generation Equality movement, a global initiative launched in 2021 to accelerate investment in gender equality and fulfil the ambitions of the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action. The meeting focused on discussing the progress of ongoing efforts by Commitment Makers in the Action Coalitions on Gender-Based Violence, Economic Justice and Rights and Bodily Autonomy and SRHR, as well as to strengthen partnerships that advance the rights of women and girls in the country.

Together for Equality

“Generation Equality is more than just a global initiative - it is a methodology, a way of thinking, and a collaborative approach to achieving our shared goals. Each of us has a role to play in making this vision a reality. UN Women will continue to collaborate closely with the Government of Zimbabwe and with all of you, not only to measure our national progress toward the realization of Zimbabwe’s commitments but also to galvanize all efforts toward gender equality”, said Sarah Murera, Programme Management Specialist at UN Women Zimbabwe, in the opening remarks.

"Since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Zimbabwe has made significant strides in advancing gender equality and women's empowerment. We stand ready to collaborate with Generation Equality commitment makers to localize the initiative and further strengthen the gains we have achieved toward gender equality in our country," said Dr. Mavis Sibanda, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Zimbabwe, at the opening remarks.

Dr. Mavis Sibanda, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development from Zimbabwe, gives her remarks at the Generation Equality Commitment Makers on 27 February 2025, in Zimbabwe. Photo: UN Women Zimbabwe

The meeting highlighted the efforts of several commitment makers who are driving change across Zimbabwe. It also included a presentation of the Generation Equality Accountability Report 2024 and a panel discussion with commitment makers to assess the progress of implementing commitments, address challenges, explore solutions and share promising practices.

Ntando Sibanda from YES Trust Zimbabwe spoke about the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach adding that “as a local organization, we know that sometimes we don’t have enough funding to keep on doing the activities, but to ensure sustainability, we’ve engaged government institutions and NGOs. This ensures that community structures can still operate and help eliminate gender-based violence.

Raymond Machambe, SRHR Youth Officer at SRHR Africa Trust, discussed the challenges of advancing bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) in a conservative context. “Navigating issues like safe abortion is a big challenge, but we made advances by working with traditional leaders. We realized that employing Values Clarification and Attitudes Transformation (VCAT), has been very useful in shifting norms and highlighting the importance of saving women’s lives”, he concluded.