The Zimbabwe Gender Budgeting and Women's Empowerment Programme

This focus profiles the Gender Budgeting and Women's Empowerment Programme in Zimbabwe, which, since its introduction in 2006, has contributed significantly to placing gender higher on the public policy agenda. The focus traces the sequence of events leading to the emergence of this issue, the mobilisation around public policies and resource allocation as a means to gender equality, and gender budgeting as a strategy for pro-poor and pro-women policy change. This focus notes in particular the engendering of the Zimbabwe Economic Development Strategy (2008-2013) and the 2007 and 2008 Budget Call Circulars. The fight for gender equality in Zimbabwe reached significant milestones through the changing attitudes towards gender equality registered at high levels of government, and gender-sensitive changes in the policy and budgeting processes. Despite the programme registering success in policy changes and placing gender issues on the agenda, there is need for a strategic shift to ensure the actual implementation of gender sensitive policies and solve the problem of gender inequalities in society. Ultimately, of course, evidence of pro-poor and gender equitable policy formulation, implementation and resource allocation will effectively demonstrate the programme's success. Recognising that overall goal however, should not lead us to dismiss the success of the agenda-setting and policy formulation stages that the programme has already influenced.