Zim: GRB toolkit for local government launched

Harare, 23 November 2022: Gender Links (GL). The Zimbabwe summit which ended in Harare on Tuesday 22 November 2022 brought together over 130 participants from 60 local authorities participating and sharing best practices on gender mainstreaming, gender-responsive budgeting, and drivers of change from which emerged seven winners and seven runners-up. The summit attracted high-level buy-in as the occasion was graced by various stakeholders including, The Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Ministers of State, the Ambassador of Sweden to Zimbabwe, senior government officials and development partners. 

The summit, which took place under the Gender Responsive Budgeting theme reminded and affirmed local authorities’ thrust towards gender budgeting through the Centres of Excellence programme in Zimbabwe. Gender budgeting is a key priority area of the Government of Zimbabwe. Gender Budgeting is a means to advance gender mainstreaming and gender equality. Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Honourable July Moyo reiterated that the budget of the Government of Zimbabwe to be presented on Thursday 24 November 2022 gives local authorities the opportunity to align their budgets to national objectives including gender mainstreaming. The Ambassador of Sweden to Zimbabwe, Her Excellency Asa Pehrson recognized the partnership between Gender Links and the Government of Sweden, which has contributed to learning and sharing through the Centres of Excellence programme and gender-responsive budgeting programming. 

Critically the summit saw the Minister of Local Government and Public Works together with the Ambassador of Sweden to Zimbabwe jointly launched the gender-responsive budgeting toolkit which will support local authorities with their gender budgeting. The launch follows extensive consultation between the Ministry of Public Works, Gender Links, and local authorities whom all contributed to the development of this toolkit. It is essential that work around gender-responsive budgeting is sustained at the local level through capacity building of both councillors and officials in this area.  

There is also a need for strengthening systems and policies that enable local authorities to capture, analyze, monitor, and evaluate the extent to which local authorities are budgeting for gender. The institutionalization of the gender-responsive budgeting toolkit by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works shows the importance placed on gender-responsive budgeting in local authorities.  

Winners: 

For more information contact Priscilla Maposa on  zimmanager@gendelinks.org.za/ +263772735722 OR visit our website and Facebook page and follow us on Twitter