ZIMBABWE is participating in the fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, France, at a time when the world is grappling with increasingly complex and unprecedented cuts to global aid.
The conference, which brings together government leaders, representatives from international and regional organisations, financial and trade institutions, and the United Nations family, provides a critical platform to reform financing structures at all levels and catalyse investments needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Zimbabwe is represented at the high-level meeting by the Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa, and the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Professor Mthuli Ncube.
Senator Mutsvangwa emphasised Zimbabwe’s commitment to gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) as a tool for inclusive development.
“The Zimbabwean government recognises that gender inequality is not just a social issue but an economic one, and that public finance is a potent tool for driving socio-economic transformation. It is a well-established fact that he who empowers a woman, empowers a whole village, and in turn empowers the whole nation.
“So there is a premium on doubling down on women’s empowerment for wholesale national development. We acknowledge that fair distribution of resources is necessary to fix past gender gaps, promote economic growth that includes everyone, and put high-level policy promises into action.
“The fact that Zimbabwe has made demonstrable progress in gender equality, economic empowerment, and political representation shows that GRB is effective at turning laws into genuine changes in the lives of its citizens,” she said.
UN Women Deputy Executive Director, Dr Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, underscored the need for financial systems that prioritise dignity and opportunity for women and girls.
“Sustainable finance must reflect the lived experiences of women and girls, especially in the most unequal contexts. Chronic underfunding, weak tracking systems, and unfair financial rules are stalling progress on gender equality.
“Coalitions of countries and diverse stakeholders must announce commitments and concrete solutions under the Seville Platform for Action that will boost the renewed financing framework and set out a turning point from dialogue to delivery,” Dr Gumbonzvanda said.
Sustainable finance has emerged as an increasingly mainstream approach to fostering investments in economic activities and projects with the potential to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
