A Spotlight on Girls and Women with Disabilities: We Must be Represented!

From 2019 to 2020, the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa collaborated with Zimbabwe's Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to support the National Disability Board (NDB) to articulate its Strategic Plan. An Act of Parliament, the Disabled Persons Act, institutes the NDB. The Board consists of 17 members, 10 of them nominated by organizations of persons with disabilities themselves. It also includes members from the various Ministries involved in disability issues. The main functions of the Board are, among other things, raising awareness, formulating policies and coming up with initiatives that ensure promotion, protection and fulfilment of the rights of persons with disabilities.

One of the major milestones of this partnership with was the development of a costed Strategic Plan for 2020-2022, that also includes a Resource Mobilization and Partnership Building strategy. This Strategic Plan also dedicates special attention to the issue of intersectional stigma and discrimination that affect girls and women with disabilities. Gender-Based Violence, Harmful Practices and lack of access to Sexual, and Reproductive Health and Rights are major challenges that the Board has identified as priorities to be addressed.