Shot in the arm for ZWRCN

Gender Budgeting Fund.
ZWRCN executive director Mrs Naome Chimbetete revealed this at the launch of the organisation’s gender budgeting and women’s empowerment project in Harare last week.
“ZWRCN as the lead civil society organisation on gender budgeting in Zimbabwe, received funding from the UN Fund for gender equality to fully institutionalise gender budgeting in Government in collaboration with the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development.
“Zimbabwe is one of the 13 countries the world over, and one of the three countries in Africa together with Liberia and Rwanda to receive this fund,” she said.
She added that the organisation needs about US$7 million over the next four years to finance economic empowerment projects for women and advocacy around gender concerns in relation to policymaking and resource allocation.
The Minister of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development, Dr Olivia Muchena, applauded the gesture by the UN saying the fund would go a long way in institutionalising gender budgeting in different sectors of the economy.
“I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to UN Women for affording ZWRCN and the Government of Zimbabwe the opportunity to be one of the beneficiaries of the UN Women Gender Budgeting Fund.
“This fund will go a long way in institutionalising gender budgeting in different sectors of our economy and strengthening the capacity of Government technocrats in crafting gender responsive budgets,” Dr Muchena said.
She also urged multilateral and bilateral agencies, private sector and non-governmental organisations to unite and take positive steps to invest in women and girls.
“Gender equality should be viewed both as a development goal and prerequisite for reaching the millennium development targets,” she said.
Gender budgeting is a gender mainstreaming tool that is used to ensure that Government policies, programmes and budgets address the needs and interests of women, men, boys and girls.
This project helps advance women’s economic security and rights in Zimbabwe through building capacity in Government on how to implement gender budgeting and civic education to enable citizen participation in the budget process and demand accountability on budgets.
ZWRCN is an information-based organisation committed to gender equality and equity. The organisation promotes women’s rights and empowerment by advocating for social and economic justice in Zimbabwe and globally.