Stakeholders call for more gender visibility in NDS2

THERE is general consensus among Zimbabwe’s stakeholders that gender, among other priorities, needs to be more visible within Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) process.

Feedback from key stakeholders on a road map for NDS2 urged policymakers to preserve the gains ushered in by the national Constitution, laws and policies, as well as the national gender machinery (NGM).

Representatives from the Government, employers, labour, independent commissions, civil society and youth organisations and faith-based networks, have individually and collectively worked with the Government to implement gender initiatives as a cross-cutting measure in NDS1.

Despite this, gender appeared to have been omitted not only as one of the strategic pillars of the NDS2, but within the whole road map.

A stakeholder consultation by the Office of the President and Cabinet — led by the Chief Secretary and Deputy Chief Secretary; championed by the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion; and convened by the National Economic Consultative Forum — recognised that gender needs to be integrated in NDS2.

Currently, the NDS2 strategic pillars include the following:

Macroeconomic stability and financial sector deepening
Inclusive economic growth and structural transformation
Infrastructural development and housing
Food security, climate resilience and environmental protection
Technology, innovation and human capital development
Job creation, youth development, creative industry and culture
Social development and social protection
Regional development and inclusivity through devolution and decentralisation
Image building, international diplomacy and trade
Good governance, institution building and peace and security.

Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) welcomed the recognition of the need to include gender, even as a stand-alone pillar.

The commission, in its presentation, also acknowledged Zimbabwe for including gender in NDS1, albeit as a cross-cutting issue.

This has led to a lot of progress being made in strengthening not only the legislative and policy framework, but also the institutional framework to move constitutional provisions on gender equality from being aspirations to reality.

The recent appointment of directors of Gender, Wellness and Inclusivity within Government ministries and Cabinet adoption of the draft National Gender Policy which lapsed in 2017 are positive.

However, the watering down of gender, misconstrued by many Zimbabweans as being about women only, will potentially undermine current efforts and gains, and exacerbate prevailing socio-cultural, economic and political disparities among women and men across sectors.

“That women and girls dominate the gender spectrum is only because empirical evidence shows that they are excluded,” said ZGC chief executive officer Ms Virginia Muwanigwa in the commission’s presentation.

Ms Muwanigwa stressed that as long as women’s voices and choices were not equally represented in the NDS2, the national vision’s aspirations for a “prosperous, empowered and upper middle-income society by 2030” will not be realised.

The commission believes the strategic integration of gender within NDS2 would ensure that voices and choices of women in their diversity are equally captured with those of men as valued and key actors in problem analysis and solution formulation in this home-grown process.

ZGC argues that contemporary monitoring and evaluation framework requires assessment of gender to be included not only in the impending evaluation of NDS1.

This would analyse efficacy of that strategy’s problem analysis; formulation and design; planning; implementation; and reporting of gender results.

These results, espoused in the country’s Constitution, are equal participation and representation of diverse women and men’s voices and choices across sectors, institutions, policies, programmes and national outcomes.

Having gender disappear in NDS2, according to ZGC, assumes two things: a) that Zimbabwe has attained constitutional benchmarks on gender equality and empowerment of marginalised groups such as those living in rural and peri-urban areas, women, PWD, youths, children, the elderly, which it has not; and b) that as a country, Zimbabwe does not value gender equality.

However, ZGC points out that one of the country’s constitutional achievements affirms gender equality and outlaws discrimination.

This, therefore, nullifies the second assumption.

The supreme law of the land has not upheld gender equality as a founding value and guiding principle but acknowledged the need to transform our country through equitable measures ensuring gender balance and collective rights of women, youth and children, among other marginalised groups.

Section 2 on the Supremacy of the Constitution nullifies “any law, practice, custom or conduct that is inconsistent with the Constitution to the extent of the inconsistency”.

ZGC, as an independent commission, is established by the Constitution and funded by the Government of Zimbabwe and other stakeholders to, among other objectives in Section 233, “. . . protect the sovereignty and interests of the people”.

This means the country already has a national in-built mechanism to address its key issues, of which gender is one.

Other commission objectives anticipate and proactively ensure constitutionalism, transparency and accountability of public institutions, as defined by Section 233.

You cannot achieve what you do not plan for, so, if NDS2 visibly integrates gender, Zimbabwe will be able to account for key gender issues; formulate and design strategies for redress; plan; resource through gender responsive budgeting; implement; monitor and evaluate; and, on the eve of 2030, be able to report on gender results, among others.

Otherwise, how will gender be specifically included across and within pillars in problem analysis, target groups, objectives, outputs, inputs, objectively verifiable indicators, outcomes and results?

Lessons learnt from NDS1 are that cross-cutting not only crowds out prioritisation of gender but fails to account for accrued gender results.

While the Constitution has already outlined the gender results, NDS2 defines how the results will be attained.

ZGC, as part of the NGM, remains committed to work with all stakeholders to ensure that gender injustices are remedied. — Zimbabwe Gender Commission.