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UN agencies in Zimbabwe meet to review disability implementation
Over 40 participants from the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator’s Office and UN agencies in Zimbabwe will meet on 28 May to review progress made in implementing the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS), a system wide policy and accountability framework that provides a roadmap for ensuring disability inclusion at various organizational and project levels. The discussions will take place under the framework of the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD) Round 4 Project.
We are meeting to monitor progress and address challenges and gaps in the implementation of UNDIS at various operational levels. Our focus will be on critical areas such as leadership, strategic planning, accessibility, participation, programming, communications, human resources, and procurement.
UNDIS was launched by the UN Secretary General in June 2019 to make the United Nations an inclusive organization for all in a quest towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as well as a range of other development and humanitarian commitments. The UNCT in Zimbabwe rolled out the implementation of the UNCT Accountability Scorecard in 2020 and submits reports to the UN Secretary General annually, through the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office.
In 2021, the Zimbabwe Albino Association (ZIMAS), an Organization of Persons with Disabilities, and technical partner, Christian Blind Mission, led the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office and UNPRPD Project Team in conducting the first comprehensive pilot assessment on the Zimbabwe UNCT’s level of disability inclusion using the UNDIS Score Card. The baseline survey provided concrete recommendations from persons with disabilities on key areas of improvement in advancing disability inclusion.
Findings from the study revealed extensive efforts made to promote disability inclusion within the Zimbabwe United Nations Country Team (UNCT). Some of the recommendations include an increase of efforts by the leadership to champion disability rights and inclusion on official engagements within the UN as well as externally and effective mainstreaming of disability rights based on the four pillars (People, Prosperity, Planet and Peace) of the SDG principle of Leaving No One Behind.
According to the Zimbabwe 2022 Population and Housing Census Report, the prevalence of disability is estimated at 9.5%, an indication that persons with disabilities are a significant portion of the over 15 million population. As focus on the achievement of the 2030 SDGs takes centre stage, disability inclusion is key in programming and in the workplace.
