Chronicle Editor
Gibson Mhaka, Sunday News Reporter
GENDER Links Zimbabwe (GLZ) has partnered with the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works in implementing a gender mainstreaming programme to ensure that all the 92 local authorities in the country come up with gender sensitive policies and programmes which result in gender responsive service delivery.
Speaking to Sunday News, GL regional networking manager for Local Action for Gender Justice Ms Priscilla Maposa said in an effort to strengthen gender mainstreaming across all the 92 local authorities, the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works gave a policy directive for all council budgets to be gender sensitive as a condition of approval.
“The attainment of Vision 2030 towards a prosperous and empowered upper middle-income economy demands that the Local Government sector provides engendered and inclusive basic services.
“Recognising this imperative, Gender Links Zimbabwe in partnership with the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works is implementing a gender mainstreaming programme and working with all 92 local authorities in Zimbabwe for over a decade. The aim is to ensure that local authorities come up with gender responsive policies and programmes which result in gender responsive service delivery,” said Ms Maposa.
She said a gap, however, still existed as there was no uniformity in the way councils were reporting on gender in their budgets, hence gender responsive budgeting became a core focus.
Ms Maposa said in 2018 an innovative approach to the gender mainstreaming programme called the hub and spoke model (Dura/Isiphala) was introduced to promote ownership and sustainability of the gender mainstreaming programme.
“It is a programme that fosters local ownership of gendered service delivery. The hub councils are providing mentorship to other councils within their provinces. This has also resulted in a lot of enthusiasm and competition amongst local authorities as they compete to be hub centres.
“The hub and spoke programme on gender mainstreaming is also meant to strengthen gender responsive service delivery and encourage ownership and sustainability of the programme,” she said.
Ms Maposa encouraged local authorities to have a gender planning framework that encompassed gender budgeting systems and strategies, gender infrastructure development and planning, gender sensitive monitoring and evaluation saying this would assist local authorities to be wholly inclusive.
“Statistics shared by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works show that 87 percent of the local authorities submitted their gender responsive budgeting statement as part of their 2023 budgets.
“Currently local level workshops on gender responsive budgeting are taking place so that all the 92 local authorities can make use of the gender responsive budget template as they prepare for their 2024 budgets.
“Journalists will also be trained on reporting on gender responsive budgeting work and profile the work being done by councils,” said Ms Maposa.
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