President, Her Excellency Nicola Clase (seated centre) during her address to the media in Arundel, Harare. Picture courtesy of Herald Online
By Dickson Bandera
HARARE – The UN Women Executive Board, led by its President, Her Excellency Nicola Clase, has concluded a week-long field mission to Zimbabwe, applauding the nation’s strides in promoting gender equality while underscoring areas in need of continued focus and development.
H.E. Clase, who also serves as Sweden’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, is in Zimbabwe together with a distinguished delegation of UN Women Executive Board vice presidents, H.E. Ms. Suela Janina of Albania, H.E. Mr. Walton Alfonso Webson of Antigua and Barbuda, H.E. Mr. Godfrey Kwoba of Uganda, and H.E. Mr. Umetsu Shigeru of Japan.
Also accompanying the mission were UN Women Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Anna Mutavati; Zimbabwe Country Representative, Fatou Lo; and Jean-Luc Borries, Secretary of the UN Women Executive Board.
Speaking to journalists in Harare on Friday, H.E. Clase expressed optimism about Zimbabwe’s progress in promoting women’s rights and empowerment, following engagements with senior government officials and community stakeholders.
“We were honored to meet with His Excellency the President of Zimbabwe, E.D. Mnangagwa, where we congratulated him on the adoption of the High-Level Political Compact on Ending Gender-Based Violence and Harmful Practices in Zimbabwe, and discussed the importance of quality education for girls,” Clase said.
The delegation also held meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Women Affairs, the Speaker of Parliament, traditional leaders, the National Gender Commission, and ZimStat.
“We also had fruitful meetings with Civil Society Organizations, the Private Sector and Development Partners. We have been encouraged by the resilience and strength of many women and girls we have met in this country,” she added.
The mission included visits to Bulawayo, Umzingwane, Murewa, and Epworth to observe the impact of key UN Women-supported initiatives such as the Murewa Feminist Knowledge Hub, Safe Markets, and the Bulawayo Maker Space.
In her summary, Clase highlighted five key observations from the field:
UN Women has built strong partnerships with the Zimbabwean Government, focusing on the implementation of existing legal frameworks for gender equality.
The agency supports a wide network of partners tackling issues of political participation, economic empowerment, and gender-based violence.
Civil society engagement remains essential, especially in light of financial constraints, while increased private sector involvement is showing promise in addressing digital and economic disparities.
Notable efforts to transition women from informal to formal employment are underway but are hindered by limited financing and inconsistent energy supply.
UN Women continues to play a central coordinating role within the UN system on gender-related matters, with over 80 percent of the UN’s Zimbabwe portfolio contributing to gender equality and women’s empowerment.
The visit concluded with UN Women reaffirming its commitment to supporting Zimbabwe in consolidating progress and addressing ongoing challenges in the pursuit of gender equality.
