The officials were attending the closing ceremony of the three-week Gender and Economic Policy Management Initiative (GEPMI), training in Mutare on 24 November, 2011. The training involved 44 senior officials drawn from various line ministries. Supported by the Ministry of Women Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Planning, this training was preceded by a Sensitization workshopof permanent secretaries in all ministries chaired by Office of the president, in August and a Training of Trainers Workshop in September. With the support of the BDP gender team andRBAUNDP COsupported the training as part of general efforts to promotegender equality and women empowerment in line with the Gender Equality Strategy 2008- 2013, the Zimbabwe United Nations Development Assistance Framework (ZUNDAF), MDG 3, and the Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP). The intervention in this area is also guided by national and regional instruments such as the National Gender Policy and the SADC Gender and Development Protocol of 2008.