Celebrating Progress: Zimbabwe Launches Beijing +30 National Commemorations Campaign

By Ilyana Sithole

The Beijing +30 National Commemorations campaign, meant to reflect on the commendable strides made toward gender equality and women’s empowerment since the adoption of the historic Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995, was launched by Honourable Senator Monica Mutsvangwa, the Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, in a poignant gathering at the Golden Conifer in Harare.

As we approach the 30th anniversary of this pivotal conference in 2025, the atmosphere was thick with a sense of purpose and urgency. The Minister’s address acted almost like a clarion call to underscore Zimbabwe’s determination in addressing the peculiar challenges women and girls face. To date, the review of progress from 2019 is a wonder to behold for mega milestones, typified by comprehensive legislative reforms and proactive policies being advanced,” she added amidst an applausive response from delegates.

A Commitment to Ending Gender-Based Violence
Sen. Mutsvangwa expressed her commitment to fighting against gender-based violence, which has left many people suffering in the country. She highlighted that the signing of the High-Level Political Compact on Ending Gender-Based Violence and Harmful Practices by President E.D. Mnangagwa shows that the government is fully committed to eliminating violence against women. It represents a high-level political will and an appeal for action to the relevant players.

Economic Empowerment Initiatives
Women’s economic empowerment was another key building block in the campaign. Among others, Maker Spaces, Safe Markets, and climate-smart initiatives have helped foster participation in the economy by women. “Our efforts toward ensuring that financial inclusion through the Women’s Empowerment Fund and other microfinance programs were indeed at the core of driving this endeavor,” Hon. Mutsvangwa elaborated to show the need to keep finding ways of sustaining gains in opportunities for women entrepreneurs.

Advancing Women’s Representation
The Minister also spoke to the issue of increasing women’s participation in decision-making positions. To date, the Women in Politics and Decision-Making Strategy has ensured gradual gains in women’s representation within various spheres of life in Zimbabwe. Recently, the Women in Leadership Summit was a high-level advocacy platform that made recommendations to the Presidium for the full realization of women’s participation in politics.

A Collective Effort
In her remarks, Mutsvangwa also acknowledged the invaluable support that the country had received from civil society organizations, international partners, and local advocates, which had seen the government change its policies and programs. “Thanks to your collective efforts, Zimbabwe was recognized for its outstanding gender equality initiatives during the AU Beijing implementation review in Addis Ababa,” she said optimistically, confident that some of the country’s best practices would be highlighted in the global report by UN Women in 2025.

A Call to Action
As the campaign gets underway, Mutsvangwa spoke of unity: “This Beijing +30 Campaign should, therefore, become a mobilization point of all actors-government, civil society, and the private sector-coming together for the realization of the aspirations within the Beijing Declaration and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” Such a campaign is one that provides an opportunity to engage more gender equality advocates and men into joining forces in the advancement of such aims.

Over the coming months, the commemorative campaign will be marked by a raft of activities that include high-level events, advocacy campaigns, and grassroots mobilization. Minister Mutsvangwa concluded her address by declaring the campaign officially launched, calling upon all stakeholders to make a commitment to the memory of the Beijing Conference for more to be done toward gender equality in Zimbabwe.

As Zimbabwe embarks on this journey, it becomes very important that a call to collective action and sustained momentum be made. The Beijing +30 National Commemorations campaign celebrates not only milestones but also a reaffirmation of commitment to ensure that the voices of women and girls are heard at the international level. The nation will work toward the common cause of creating a future in which gender equality is no longer an ideal but a fact.