Training on disability data collection kicks off in Zimbabwe

Training of the Zimbabwe National Statistical Agency (ZIMSTAT) staff on collection of disability data kicked off virtually on 13 July 2021.

The training, which was organised under the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD) project, targeted ZIMSTAT staff, the drafting team and Technical Officers who will in turn train future Census Enumerators. This comes at a time when the country is currently in preparation for the National Census. The objective is to ensure the integration of disability data, thereby inclusive national statistics.

In his remarks, ZIMSTAT Director General, Mr Taguma Mahonde said the 'importance of official statistics bearing the traits of quality is a culmination of vital processes and procedures that derive from the quest to employ scientific methods in producing information to promote and fasten decision making'.

Human Rights Adviser in the UN Resident Coordinator's Office, Ms. Fiona Adolu stressed that data collection processes should be guided by human rights standards and principles throughout all the phases, as this contributes to the development of the capacities of duty bearers to meet their obligations and/or the rights holders to claim their rights. She reiterated the importance of building the technical capacities of ZIMSTAT staff, the drafting team, technical officers and enumerators towards a Human Rights Based Approach to Data, namely disaggregation, self-identification, transparency, privacy, accountability and participation.

Workshop facilitators from the Centre for Inclusive Policy introduced the Disability Data Collection and the Washington Group Question Sets. They highlighted the importance of collecting disability data to assist in describing the functional status of the population, as well as to address whether persons with disability are being fully included in society as required by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Full participation of persons with disabilities is one of the overall goals of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (UNCRPD) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Collecting disability data thus remains crucial in the generation of disaggregated indicators and in ensuring inclusivity.

The online training workshop was held as part of the Zimbabwe United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD) Project, implemented by UNESCO (Lead Agency), UNFPA and UNDP.

Strengthening disability data collection and usage in Zimbabwe is essential as it is one of the key preconditions for an effective implementation of the new National Disability Policy that Zimbabwe recently adopted.

Over 70 participants joined the workshop during the first day, among them officials from the Department of Disability Affairs, Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, ZIMSTAT, 2022 Population and Housing Census Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee and the UNPRPD officials.