Gender equality is central to human development and to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as to the enhancement of development effectiveness. UNDP Zimbabwe is therefore committed to and attaches great importance to gender equality and women’s empowerment in all aspects of its work. Gender mainstreaming is one of the strategies that the Country Office (CO) utilises to promote the integration of gender perspectives into the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes.

In Zimbabwe, gender disparities characterise all aspects of development, with Zimbabwe ranked at 130 in the global gender related development index according to the Human Development Report 2007/2008, reflecting the generally low status of women with respect to access, control and ownership of economic resources and positions in decision-making processes. This is despite the promulgation of various laws and the signature, ratification and accession to several regional and international declarations, conventions and protocols aimed at creating an enabling environment for the attainment of equity and equality between men and women.

The Country Office’s Gender equality interventions are informed by the UNDP policy instruments such as the UNDP Gender Equality Strategy 2008 - 2011, the UNDP Strategic Plan 2008 – 2011, the Regional Bureau for Africa Gender Strategy, international instruments, in particular, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against women (CEDAW), the African Union (AU) Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa,  the SADC Gender and Development Protocol and the Zimbabwe Gender National Policy.

UNDP Zimbabwe’s contributions to gender equality are premised on the following pillars:

· transformation of its own management, programming and related administrative processes to enhance gender equality and mainstreaming

· supporting the enhancement of national level capacities for effective gender policy coordination, implementation and monitoring & evaluation within the framework of the National Gender Policy

· strategic partnerships within the UN system through the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) Zimbabwe Gender Theme Group and other strategic development partnerships in particular, the European Commission

· collaborating with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)

The first National Gender Policy, adopted by the Cabinet in 2004 was developed with technical and financial support from UNDP. Additionally the Government of Zimbabwe continues to receive support in the consultative processes and compilation of the UN, SADC and AU reports on Gender Equality.

The Country Office is making efforts to support the strengthening of the capacity of the National Gender Machinery i.e. the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development to assume a leading role in all aspects of gender and development, planning and budgeting, and ensuring the mainstreaming of gender into all sectors. UNDP Zimbabwe uses its own core resources to finance current interventions.

The Country Office in promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women is currently supporting the following initiatives amongst others:

- enhancing the participation of women in decision making processes with primarity focus on women in Parliament and local Authorities
- enhancing the participation of women in economic activities through income generation projects and entrepreneurial skills training

The UNDP CO in collaboration with mainly with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development and Non- Governmental Organisations, has initiated the following interventions since January 2009:

i. Engagement  and sensitization  of men and women parliamentarians on gender issues
ii. Engagement and sensitization of members of female and male members of  Parliament, NGOs, the  academia and journalists on the importance of the International Women’s Day, focusing on the impact of Gender Based Violence (GBV) on women and girls and the link between GBV and poverty.
iii. Facilitation of dialogue on the Constitutional Reform Processes with the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, NGOs and government officials
iv. Finalization of the needs assessment report on the participation of women in entrepreneurial activities with special focus on women in rural areas
v. Support to the Ministry of Women  Affairs, Gender and Community Development consultative meeting with stakeholders from government and the NGO community on the Beijing +5 follow up
vi. Support to the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe comprised of several NGOs to mobilise Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and strategize on how to best participate in the Constitution Making Process
vii. Support to the induction, confidence building, strategic planning and constitution making process for women Parliamentarians