Gender Equality and Elections Modular course for electoral stakeholders

ZESN Hosts Workshop to Enhance Women’s Political Participation

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) hosted a three-day BRIDGE Gender Equality and Elections Module Workshop in Harare to enhance the capacity of organisations working on gender and elections with skills and knowledge necessary to improve, particularly, women’s participation in electoral processes. Held in collaboration with UN Women Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Gender Commission, the event ran from October 29 to 31, 2024, the workshop aimed to equip 23 participants (11 males and 12 females) with insights into global best practices for promoting gender equality in elections, fostering an inclusive, democratic process for Zimbabwe. The participants were drawn stakeholders from Chapter 12 Commissions such as the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and the Zimbabwe Media Commission, civic society representatives from women and men’s movements.

This initiative is part of ZESN’s Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections (BRIDGE) program, aimed at encouraging women to take part in elections and developing strategies to increase their involvement. The workshop also aimed to address the alarming decline of women’s participation in Zimbabwe’s political landscape.

In her welcome remarks, ZESN Executive Director and LEAD Facilitator Rindai Chipfunde-Vava expressed alarm over the significant drop in female candidates during Zimbabwe’s 2023 elections, with only 11.89% of the National Assembly and 15.1% of local government posts held by women. She urged stakeholders to develop strategies to dismantle barriers for women’s equal participation.

Officially opening the training workshop, UN Women Governance Advisor Fadzai Traquino, representing the UN Women Representative in Zimbabwe, underscored the need for gender equality in politics and elections, aligning with international commitments, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Declaration, and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 5.

She highlighted persistent challenges women face in political participation, such as low representation, gender stereotypes, harassment and violence, and limited opportunities. Despite the challenges, UN Women reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the government of Zimbabwe in its efforts to empower women and ensure their equal participation in politics. Traquino stated that despite progress, women’s representation remains limited globally and locally, often due to harmful stereotypes and lack of resources.

Resource Persons were drawn from Chapter 12 Commissions from the Zimbabwe Gender Commission and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission who gave insights on the Gender Dimensions of Elections and Nomination Court Processes, respectively.

The participants were an engaging and vibrant group who appreciated that this was the first time that a workshop for persons with disabilities, specific to capacitating them on electoral issues and processes, had been conducted in Zimbabwe. They also applauded the learning methodology, the rich content of the BRIDGE Curriculum and the interaction and sharing of experiences among the participants. They committed to implement the strategies and recommendations from the workshop into their own programming.

Participants expressed enthusiasm and appreciation for the rich content of the BRIDGE curriculum, the engaging methodology and the opportunity to exchange experiences with each other. The workshop left a lasting impression on them, inspiring a commitment to incorporate the workshop strategies and recommendations into their own programming to ensure gender equality and participation.

After the workshop, two facilitators were accredited, Ian Goredema and Emilia Bundo.