via $5m Swedish boost for women – DailyNews Live by Helen Kadirire 3 MARCH 2014
The Swedish Government has contributed $5,3 million towards a joint programme that seeks to accelerate Zimbabwe’s gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Sweden’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Lars Ronnas told guests at the launch that her country’s support for the programme was based on the programmes’ relevance to Zimbabwe and its alignment to international norms on gender equality.
The programme is premised on four pillars namely; combating all forms of gender-based violence (GBV), women’s political participation and influence, economic empowerment and national accountability on gender and women’s empowerment.
“Sweden has a long history of promoting gender equality globally. Equal rights and opportunities between women and men are what we all should work for in each and every society.
“Sustainable development cannot be achieved unless women’s rights are respected, their voices heard and their skills counted,” Ronnas said.
He highlighted that his government was pleased with the programme, as it takes a holistic approach, as gender equality needs to be dealt with in different levels and look at the structures in society that underpin inequality.
Ambassador Ronnas indicated that the programme targets women’s economic empowerment, as they should be represented in formal and informal decision-making.
“Women in rural Zimbabwe have particularly an important role in food security and bringing about a change for a better life. However, these women often lack access to control over resources, to be able to invest and have access to markets,” Ronnas said.
Women Affairs and Gender minister, Oppah Muchinguri said although her ministry has introduced mechanisms to support women, gender mainstreaming was yet to be realised.
“As a result, women in Zimbabwe continue to have unequal access to finances, skills and markets in all sectors of the economy,” Muchinguri said.
She also highlighted that GBV was a major impediment to women’s development, citing that 42 percent of women have either experienced physical, emotional or sexual violence at some point in their lives.
Officer-in-charge UN Women in Zimbabwe, Kemal Mustafa said women remained underrepresented in all the sectors identified in ZimAsset.
“Whether it is in agriculture, in terms of the levels of inequality to access to machinery, means of production and resources, in mining and manufacturing…There is still a long way ahead. And if we are going to achieve gender equality then we need different strategies in terms of engendering ZimAsset if it is really going to deliver in terms of cluster targets,” Mustafa said.
COMMENTS
2007 I saw a gap in the market for paraffin. There was no electricity and people were cutting down trees indiscriminately. I approached one bid fuel company. ‘ there is no paraffin’ he said.Surprised ,I told him people were selling the staff in the streets. Opah and a group of women commandeered the contaminated staff from the pipeline which was a mixture of petrol and diesel. Dangerous staff and the poor public did not know.
It was no go area for me.
This is the type of leadership we have ,greedy,ruthless and uncaring. At the end of it bob makes you a minister.
I am not a pessimist but have questions about which women will access this money. The gender ministry is ZANU PF and I don’t see women outside ZANU PF circles benefiting from this fund. It is obvious Sweden gave this money to ZANU PF seeing that Officer in charge UN Women in Zimbabwe hinted that the money is going to be used to promote women representation under ZimAset. ZimAset is a ZANU PF program and this gesture by Sweden is a partisan one. I wonder how apolitical Sweden is because opposition women will not be able to access this facility. Sweden, please be impartial.
BEGGARS FIGHTING OVER DONATED CRUMPS! WHEN IS AFRICA GOING TO BECOME A DONOR IN ITS OWN RIGHT ANYWAY?
Do we dream of ever rising to become donors to the Swedish people (taxpayers) one day?