24 May 2018
Thirty-two representatives from government ministries and departments, members of the UPR steering committee, independent commissions, traditional leaders, parliamentarians, civil society organisations, labour and business, diplomatic community, United Nations Country Team and permanent secretaries of ministries leading implementation of cluster recommendations met at Crowne Plaza in Harare for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) stakeholders consultative meeting.
The UPR is a human rights mechanism adopted by the United Nations (UN) to review the implementation of human rights in all the UN Member States once every four years. The UPR is a state driven process that provides the opportunity for each state to identify key human rights issues and challenges as well as to periodically declare what actions it has taken to improve human rights situations and fulfil human rights obligations.
Zimbabwe’s first review was contemplated in 2010 while the cycle started in 2011 and the final adoption of the recommendations was in March 2012. The second cycle began in November 2016 and it was completed on 26 March 2017. Zimbabwe was given 260 recommendations and out of these, 151 were accepted while 103 were noted. 6 recommendations were partially supported and regarded as not a priority by the government.
The meeting concurred that strategic priorities towards improved promotion, respect, protection and fulfilment of human rights in Zimbabwe should include prioritisation of National Plan Action, disseminating tools to allow stakeholders to track implementations of the recommendations, effective coordination between stakeholders in the implementation of the UPR recommendations to avoid duplication and address funding challenges, spreading reach of UPR consultations to include rural areas, organising of more technical informal meetings between quarterly meetings in order to take stock of implementation as well as broadening implementation of recommendations and interrogating those that were not accepted.
Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) pledged to include UPR recommendations in their workplan and also to encourage ministries to take part in implementing recommendations. The meeting noted that there is need to hold wide consultations in a bid to achieve total abolishment of the death penalty. It was also stated that there is need to speed up realignment of key legislations and prepare explanatory circulars. Other prominent issues that the workshop brought out were strengthening the fight against impunity, registering and licensing community radio stations to enhance engagement of the nation in UPR processes, allocating adequate resources from the national budget for the UPR and regular monitoring of the UPR by stakeholders.
The various stakeholders that were present resolved three next steps. The steps are forging better coordination mechanisms in implementing the UPR processes, continuous holding of periodic meetings and encouraging donours to support implementation of the UPR recommendations.
Human Rights NGO Forum, National Association of Non-Governmental Organisation (NANGO) and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human rights (ZLHR) will be facilitating capacity building workshops for civil society organisations and community based organisations on the universal periodic review. The workshops will be held in Gweru, Bulawayo, Masvingo and Mutare from Tuesday to Friday next week, respectively.
The objectives of the workshops are to capacitate CSOs and CBOs to participate in the monitoring and implementation of accepted recommendations, to develop partnerships that help in coordination of better compiling of shadow reports and to Come up with a framework of preparing a report for the next cycle.
24 May 2018
The National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO) commends the Zimbabwean government through the Ministry of Health and Child Care for acknowledging the essentiality of sunscreen lotions for people with albinism.
People with albinism have extremely sensitive skin and therefore need sunscreen lotion to protect them from ultraviolet rays of the sun. Unfortunately, import duty put on skin care products required by people with albinism makes the prices beyond the reach of many.
The Albino Trust Zimbabwe is lobbying for removal of import duty on sunscreen lotions used by people with albinism, however, ZIMRA is adamant in its claims that sunscreen lotion is a cosmetic not an essential drug.
To circumvent this barrier, Albino Trust Zimbabwe Director, Bruce Nyoni, has engaged a dermatologist and pharmacist to assist the organisation in manufacturing good quality sunscreen lotion that will be affordable to all people with albinism.
Nyoni told NANGO that most people with albinism are unemployed and some of them may not be qualified for formal employment as they fail to continue their education due to visual impairment.
Nyoni toured a sunscreen manufacturing plant in South Africa where he discovered that the end product is worth approximately US$2 whereas in Zimbabwe the same product is sold at an exorbitant price of $20 to $23. He also alleged that in the black market poor quality lotion is put in expensive containers and sold to unknowing people with albinism.
According to Nyoni the product that his organisation intends to manufacture will be tailor made to suit Zimbabwean weather as opposed to lotions that are imported from the diaspora which may not be effective under the Zimbabwean weather.
The Albino Trust Zimbabwe feels that its pleas for consideration of sunscreen lotion as an essential drug have landed on deaf ears and have therefore come to the decision to raise funds and make a sunscreen lotion that will be affordable especially to Zimbabwean rural children with albinism.
The Albino Trust Zimbabwe is a youth led organisation that advocates for the rights and welfare of people with albinism. It helps people with albinism by sourcing and providing essentials such as sunscreen lotions, sunglasses, food and clothing items. The organisation has had campaigns for inclusion and access to education as well as against discrimination and stigma.
24 May 2018
The National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO) stands in solidarity with six Zambian civil society members and activists that who are being charged with disobeying lawful orders after they held a protest last September demanding public accountability from their national government.
NANGO asserts that budgetary processes must prioritise betterment of the lives of ordinary people and also values transparency and accountability and commends any institution that holds public officials to account.
Through the peaceful protest, the six activists were demanding that the full public resource management processes that led to the purchase of the 42 fire trucks by the Zambian Ministry of Local Government at a cost of 42 million US dollars, be open to public scrutiny. The protest was held on the day that the then Minister of Finance, Felix Mutati, was presenting Zambia’s 2018 National Budget.
Under the Joint Action for Accountability in Zambia, Zambian civil society organisations issued a statement asserting that budgetary choice making and procurement process of the fire engines was imprudent and a form of mismanagement of public resources.
NANGO recommends that in order to improve macroeconomic policy formulation and implementation processes all governments should put in place platforms for participation by ordinary citizens like pre-budget consultations by both parliament and the Ministry of Finance.
NANGO is a non-party political, non-profit making organisation and non-denominational official coordinating body of NGOs in Zimbabwe. NANGO values participation. diversity, non-discrimination, equity, equality, engagement as well as transparency and accountability.
10 May 2018
The National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO) has identified 30 members of parliament that make contributions regarding child development during parliamentary debates. Of these, five will be honored as Child Champions for the year 2017.
NANGO commends key individuals from parliament who have shown immense interest in child development. Through the Child Friendly National Budget Initiative (CFNBI), NANGO intends to advocate and lobby for more child friendly budget initiatives, inform the consigned child champions on the unexploited points of the Children Ten-Point Plan Plus and equip child champions with relevant knowledge and information in order for them to continue with effective lobby and advocacy for child friendly budgeting.
NANGO envisions a Zimbabwe where there is continued effective lobbying and advocacy for child friendly budget initiative by members of parliament and an enhanced child friendly budget in 2019 as a result of effective lobbying and advocacy.
Parliamentarians have a critical role of advancing child development and they can only do this effectively if they are sensitive to child issues. National assembly debates, which are sensitive to the development issues of children, are paramount in pushing for reforms that are critical in creating a nation providing children an opportunity to attain their full capacities.
With this in mind, NANGO with support from Save the Children and UNICEF, has been implementing the CFNBI whose main objective is to increase the level of and spaces for child participation in democratic development processes mainly policy planning and budgeting.
The CFNBI has been lobbying for increased public-sector investment in child friendly sectors such as education, health, child protection and social safety among others. Members of parliament were engaged by NANGO in a bid to sensitise and lobby them to champion child friendly policies and expenditures seeing as parliamentarians play the role of providing oversight on policy and legislative development as well as public expenditure management. The engagement process involved building the capacity and sensitization of parliamentarians so that they can effectively debate and lobby for the progressive realization of child rights.
Being an implementing partner of the CFNBI, NANGO facilitated the development of the Ten-Point Plan Plus with consultation from junior parliamentarians and counselors. The document is a lobbying and advocacy tool for children inclusivity in policy issues. The tool also includes issues specifically for and by children with disability. The Children Ten-Point Plan was used as a tool to influence the 2018 National Budget with specific issues towards child focused development. NANGO coordinated a post budget review with junior parliamentarians and it is pleasing to note that some of the issues raised or presented in the Children Ten-Point Plus were incorporated in the 2018 National budget.
Currently, child development issues are fragmented within various ministries coordinating piecemeal child development issues. These ministries include the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Ministry of Health and Child Care and Ministry of Home Affairs amongst others. Lack of a clear institutional framework that can act as a one stop shop for child development issues creates gaps which Parliament should address as they carry out their work.
Senior Social Policy, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Onias Munamati, (right) posing next to
one of the child champions, Shamva South MP, Joseph Mapiki.
10 May 2018
Harare civil society organisations that came together at a multi-stakeholder Conflict Management, Resolution and Transformation training that was hosted by the Non-State Actors Alliance (NSAA) identified socio-economic and political factors currently affecting Zimbabwe as probable factors of causing conflict.
Participants cited cash shortages, high unemployment rate, informal sector, escalating poverty levels and gender based violence as socio-economic factors that often cause conflict in communities.
With regards to cash shortages, representatives of civil society said the root cause includes corruption, closure of companies, lack of political will, lack of confidence in the banking system and lack of foreign direct investment.
On the other hand, impending elections, just ended primary election, noting of voter registration slip serial numbers and splitting of main opposition political party were stated as examples of political conflict.
Zimbabwe Civic Education Trust (ZIMCET) Coordinator, Michelle Duma, informed attendants that when there is conflict, people often see the world differently. The experiences, cultures, religions, sense of identity, perceptions, and beliefs of each individual or group help shape how the person or group feels and acts in the conflict.
“The frustration or denial of human needs and human rights leads to conflictual behaviour, a sense of trauma, and violence. Conflict occurs when people seek to satisfy their own needs at the expense of others. Some people believe that they have the right to meet their own needs at the expense of others,” she said.
Duma added that “For most people in response to conflict fighting is often the first instinct. There is an element of physical abuse and feelings being hurt needs not met, rights being violated and the need for total victory by involved parties causes violence to spread when it starts. Those watching tend to take sides and others join in depending on their interests.”
The meeting noted that as part of conflict management, resolution and transformation, peace building initiatives need to be intensified as conflict in communities often worsens during election periods. community members use the time to settle scores and seek vengeance for past offences.
3 May 2018
Fifteen female arts leaders from Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Swaziland and Zimbabwe have said there is need to strengthen advocacy in order to bring out issues affecting women in the creative sector.
The diverse group of women agreed that in order to develop the creative industry, the sector should have broader representation and have a mandate that will serve the interests of the entire sector. They said this is reliant on effective advocacy.
Maxim Murungweni, the Zimbabwe National Council for the Welfare of Children Programmes Manager, encouraged the women in arts leadership to improve their advocacy strategies.
“Advocacy is a structured process, it’s different from campaigning and activism. Women in arts are raising genuine issues but if they do not know who to direct their concerns to they won’t get desired solutions,” said Murungweni.
He emphasised that arts leaders should not waste their time on people that do not have the power to influence decisions.
The female leaders in arts and culture were also enlightened on the importance of advocacy communication and the importance of improving the visibility of their organisations.
Nokholo Mhluzani, the Senior Communications and Visibility Officer at NANGO, informed the female leaders on the importance of matching advocacy strategies to communication tactics.
“There is a lot of advocacy out there and creators need to establish how they add to the landscape. There is need to figure out how communication of those in the creative industry adds value,” she said.
Mhluzani reminded the female leaders that women already receive very low print and broadcast media coverage so they need to embrace cyber space and use it to grow their brands.
Florence Mukanga-Majachani, an artist and independent researcher, said “In developing women in the arts there is need to consult them. If development goes ahead of culture it will fail, disregarding women is counterproductive.”
Mukanga-Majachani further went to quote the Agenda 2063 which calls for “An Africa where development is people driven, unleashing the potential of women and youth.”
She highlighted how the Agenda 2063 calls on African countries to value the input of women and youth.
Zimbabwe Arterial Network hosted the three-day intensive workshop targeting emerging and established arts leaders within non-profit cultural organisations and private enterprises at the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA).
The female artists were trained under the Non-State Actors Alliance (NSAA) which has a mandate of downstream training of non-state actors and NANGO members. NANGO has an arts and culture sector and envisions a time when the government and other stakeholders will recognise arts and culture as positive and effective vehicles for national development.
Maxim Murungweni presenting on advocacy
The Zimbabwe Economic Policy Analysis and Research Unit (ZEPARU) is undertaking a study on assessment of the macroeconomic policy formulation and implementation processes in Zimbabwe. The study’s main objective is to assess the current economic policy making and implementation processes.
NANGO, as a critical stakeholder in the macroeconomic policy formulation and implementation processes, made a presentation on the need to raise awareness and increase public participation in policy formulation, avail key policy documents to the public and strengthen oversight institutions.
The Corruption Perception Index indicates that Zimbabwe scored of 22 points out of a hundred and ranks 157 least corrupt nation out of 175 countries. It must be appreciated that public participation and transparency in macroeconomic policy formulation and implementation can help improve credibility of government.
NANGO recommends that in order to improve macroeconomic policy formulation and implementation processes the government should put in place platforms for participation by ordinary citizens like pre-budget consultations by both parliament and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Empowerment.
Platforms for dialogue should allow for participation of marginalised groups, venues should be accessible for people with disabilities, dates should accommodate children in schools and policy makers should access the hard to reach areas all in the spirit of leaving no one behind. Notices should be given in time and sufficient information on the objectives of the meeting should be communicated so that citizens prepare themselves.
Parliament and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Empowerment should utilize social media and feedback from website postings to get real time input from citizens.
The Zimbabwean government should also increase availability of key policy documents to the public. Websites should be used as a platform for publishing information. There should also be mechanisms and partnerships that enable reach to remote areas.
Information should be packaged in a way that is citizen friendly and can be understood by the general public as with citizen budgets. The information should be published in time for citizens to add their input in the process. Government is discouraged from publishing the proposed budget document after it has been approved.
NANGO also noted that the auditor general and parliament’s capacity to play its oversight role in the macroeconomic policy formulation and implementation should be enhanced. There is need to identify best practices in ensuring that the auditor general’s office is independent from the government. Another strategy that NANGO recommended as a way of strengthening oversight institutions is identifying challenges, even within current legislation, being faced by the auditor general’s office in playing its oversight role effectively.
The inception workshop for the study was held at Holiday Inn Hotel on 17 April 2018 and its purpose was to raise awareness and to gather insights of key players on how the study can address challenges in the macroeconomic policy formulation and implementation processes in Zimbabwe. The study to be conducted by ZEPARU is funded by the African Capacity Building Foundation.
The Department for International Development (DFID), in partnership with UNICEF and the British Council held a shadow Disability Summit in Harare ahead of the Global Disability Summit to be held in London this July.
At the summit Ralph Watungwa, the Chief Executive Officer at Standard Chartered Bank Zimbabwe Limited, implored people to give tools to persons with disabilities and empower the self-determined.
Watungwa said that the empowerment of people with disabilities should go beyond the individual.
“The issue of empowerment starts with societal acceptance. It’s in how we give support to communities and parents of children with disabilities,” said Watungwa.
He added that there is need to invest in the amount of therapy that is given to mothers who deliver children with disabilities. It should not be assumed that siblings, guardians and relatives of people with disabilities will know how to cater for people with disabilities, he said.
The banker said that the way communities accept and live with people with disabilities has an influence on how prepared they are to take opportunities.
“There are many opportunities but these are taken by people who are best prepared for them. We need to encourage people with disabilities to work hard because the world is competitive,” Watungwa said.
Tsitsi Chataika, an educationist at the University of Zimbabwe and disability rights activist, said in 2015 the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education conducted a study that showed a lot of children are left out of the school system because of how schools are designed and because of attitudinal barriers in the communities they live in.
“The notion of inclusive education is not just about people with disabilities but it is about everyone. People with disabilities are denied access to education and are told to get special education. Education is a right, people with disabilities deserve to enjoy that right too,” Chataika said.
She added that people should dispel the notion that persons with disabilities do not need an education. Disability and poverty are related and the first port of call in eradicating poverty is equal access to education.
The advisor to the President on National Disability, Joshua Malinga, said that people with disability need to know that they have to liberate themselves.
Malinga added that his generation fought for the Disability Act and did not get it on a platter.
“In order for the disability movement to take place people with disabilities need to initiate it. The movement is very divided right now but there is need for political will and people who want to proffer solutions.
Advisor Malinga asserted that there is need for a grassroots based, democratic and nationwide disability movement that communicates, writes reports and shares information widely. He said in support of this he will ensure that there is a Disability Act by the end of the year.
NANGO stands in solidarity with its members that have issued statements condemning the government’s arbitrary decision to dismiss all striking nurses from their positions at state-run hospitals.
On Tuesday 17 April 2018 the Vice President, Retired General Constantino Chiwenga, fired nurses employed at state-run hospitals that had been protesting against poor salaries and unfavourable working conditions. He accused the disgruntled government employees of being influenced by political motives. Vice President Rtd. Gen. Chiwenga made the statement in his capacity as the Supervisor of the Social Services Cluster.
In their statements members remind the government that it has a responsibility to ensure that citizen’s rights to heath care is not compromised and should immediately implement measures to resolve the situation at state-run hospitals.
The three organisations assert that they stand in solidarity with the dismissed workers and hold government accountable for the blatant breach of the health workers’ fundamental rights and the Zimbabwean Constitution as well as any consequences that will arise from staff shortages at health institutions.
NANGO members expressed that the decision to dismiss the nurses is an unfair labour practice in a country that is a signatory to the International Labour Organisation Statutes and Labour Rights. They also call upon the government to reverse this unfortunate decision as it militates against the fundamental rights of citizens and has a grave effect on the health delivery system.
NANGO condemns the dismissal as it exacerbates health practitioners’ mass exodus to neighbouring countries in search for greener pastures. More so, it contravenes section 65 of the Constitution which, among others, guarantees labour rights to every person except members of the security services.
The Zimbabwean Constitution in Section 65 (2) provides as follows “Except for members of the security services, every person has the right to form and join trade unions and employee and employers’ organisations of their choice and to participate in the lawful activities of those unions and organisations”.
It is at this backdrop that NANGO concurs with its members in demanding urgent attention towards concerns raised by nurses, calling on the government to uphold the constitution and rescind its decision, review the Health Services Act, develop level benchmarks of service and accountability as well as increase funding allocated to the health sector and strive to allocate 15% to health as stipulated in the Abuja Declaration. NANGO also supports the numerous peaceful initiatives that have come up around the country in solidarity with nurses.
Masvingo NGOs have said that funding challenges will not break their will power to deliver progress and development in the province.
This came out at a membership meeting that was held in Masvingo where NANGO Executive Director, Leonard Mandishara, met the NANGO Southern Region Board and member organisations.
The meeting was aimed at scanning the Masvingo Province NGO sector operating environment, challenges and strategies on how to forge ahead.
Some of the NANGO members said the changed environment in terms of governance also presents unique challenges that most organisations are grappling to deal with.
The province is gearing for elections and part of the development programmes involve strategies on the engagement of various stakeholder who play a critical role in the delivery of free, fair and credible elections.
Along with issues affecting civil society, it was brought out that the surge in murder and rape cases needs be addressed by community leaders and the police. The NGO sector pledged to raise awareness and lobby for retention safe spaces.
