Management Response

: Zimbabwe
: 2022 - 2023 , Zimbabwe (CO)
: End of Project Evaluation on Prevention of COVID 19 infection among vulnerable women and girls in drought-affected districts
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Zimbabwe

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UN Women Zimbabwe Country Office has appreciated the relevance and usefulness of the evaluation findings, conclusions, and recommendations. These recommendations were drawn from an analysis of information documented through the desk review and primary data gathered from beneficiaries and stakeholders. All participants within the evaluation were consulted in the process of formulating recommendations provided. Stakeholders were consulted to provide their inputs into recommendations based on their involvement and interaction with the project. UN Women will ensure that the findings from this evaluation will inform future.
: Approved
Recommendation: Maintain a strategic focus and dedication to gender equality and the empowerment of women. As a global champion for women and girls, UN Women’s support and leadership in this project significantly contributed to accelerating access to COVID 19 awareness, knowledge, and prevention. The interventions were particularly implemented to with direct intention to truly benefit women and girls in Mbire and Guruve districts. UN Women is encouraged to Continue and excel in its coordination role and promote initiatives that advance gender equality. This includes: a. Working closely with the Government of Zimbabwe, Civil Society Organizations other development partners ensuring that gender equality and women’s rights concerns are integrated into all programs and in all sectors. Mbire and Guruve Districts remain in need of this support. b. Scale up, adjust as necessary and replicate this kind of project in these and other districts of Mashonaland Central Province. This could entail promoting uptake of all vaccine-preventable diseases including covid-19, polio, measles, cholera, cervical cancer, TB, diarrhoea, hepatitis B, tetanus, etc., and integrate women’s economic empowerment programs and life skills strengthening for women and girls. As this project already supported health facilities with refrigerators and vehicles to support cold chain management and distribution of vaccines to hard-to-reach areas, implementation going forward will be less capital intensive.
Management Response: UN Women will continue to work closely with the Government of Zimbabwe, Civil Society Organizations, and other development partners to integrate gender equality and women's rights concerns into all programs and sectors. Further, the CO will continue and excel in its coordination role promote initiatives that advance gender equality and will mobilize resources for humanitarian interventions. The CO Humanitarian focal point was capacitated as a Training of Trainer in 2023 and she will cascade the training to government and other stakeholders.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Partnership, Humanitarian action
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Efficiency, Relevance, Sustainability, Human Rights, Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Actively participate in the Humanitarian Country team to support gender analysis of the response plans and programmes. UN Women 2025/12 Completed The work is ongoing. The CO Humanitarian focal point has been attending the UNCT Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) meetings and providing technical guidance and support to these meetings from a gender perspective.
Work with key stakeholders to promote uptake of vaccine preventable diseases and integrate women's economic empowerment programs and life skills strengthening for women and girls UN Women 2025/12 Completed The CO also initiated Business Clinics for women entrepreneurs in Harare on 4 September 2024. These clinics are solution-focused and growth-oriented technical interventions that promote the development and resilience of enterprises by providing access to business information, financial products and services, professional and vocational training, mentorship, and market linkages. A total of 70 women entrepreneurs were equipped with the requisite skills and knowledge through the Business Clinics. Additional Business Clinics will be implemented in Masvingo, Mutare, Lupane, Chinhoyi, and Bulawayo as a next step during the fourth quarter.
3. Conduct a capacity building on Gender in Humanitarian Action (GIHA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) to government and other stakeholders. UN Women 2024/12 Completed A Gender in Humanitarian Action workshop conducted in November as part of humanitarian response activities. The training focused on building the capacity of local women organisations on gender in humanitarian action. Women led organisations, women rights organisations and women’s network groups working in the humanitarian cluster have been mapped and are in the process of being engaged.
Continue to coordinate Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment stakeholders to develop Gender Responsive Programmes. UN Women 2026/12 Completed During the reporting period, the CO supported the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MWACSMED) in reviewing the Broad-Based Women Economic Empowerment Framework (BBWEEF) from 2 July to 16 July 2024. The support included procuring meeting facilities across nine provinces of Zimbabwe and providing DSA for consultants. Multiple stakeholders, including government officials, micro-small and medium enterprises, local councils, and the private sector, participated in the consultations (440 participants: 281 females, 159 male). Key recommendations from the process include: a) Capacity building for women at the grassroots level, with targeted capacity building and mentorship programmes to enable women to gain skills required for leadership positions in the economy. b) Improved access to finance, reasonable interest rates on loans for women, and targeted grants and loan facilities for women with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. c)Financial institutions should also be encouraged to adopt non-traditional forms of collateral. d) Provision of appropriate, safe, and decent workspaces for all women entrepreneurs. As a result of the process, MWACSMED was able to give the review and revision process of the BBWEEF a national outlook while exploring in-depth key issues related to women's economic empowerment. The policy document will be validated in the fourth quarter and tabled for discussion at the cabinet level thereafter.
Recommendation: Devise more innovative, young people friendly income generating projects which are appealing to the girls who are youth, and not necessarily heavily contested by the adult women and men community. The all-purpose soap making initiative saw older women more involved which could easily crowd away the younger ones.
Management Response: The CO takes note of the recommendation on effective youth engagement and inclusion in economic empowerment projects. To this end, the CO will increase the number of youth friendly Innovative approaches to programme design and Implementation with an emphasis on leaving no one behind regardless of gender, location, and age disparities. In future similar projects, UN Women will make deliberate efforts to identify and select appropriate projects for younger women and older women. It is also Important to note that the CO has key activities lined up to foster effective youth engagement.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind, National ownership
Organizational Priorities: Humanitarian action, Engaging men and boys, Partnership, Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Increase opportunities for youth to be engaged in project design. UN Women 2025/12 Completed The CO is ensuring that women and girls are engaged in project design and the CO is in the process of conducting its midterm review of the SN and the Youths are be engaged in the consultation processes.
Develop capacities for women and young women entrepreneurs to increase knowledge and skills on disaster and climate resilient businesses. UN Women 2025/12 Completed The CO also initiated Business Clinics for women entrepreneurs in Harare on 4 September 2024. These clinics are solution-focused and growth-oriented technical interventions that promote the development and resilience of enterprises by providing access to business information, financial products and services, professional and vocational training, mentorship, and market linkages. A total of 70 women entrepreneurs were equipped with the requisite skills and knowledge through the Business Clinics. Additional Business Clinics will be implemented in Masvingo, Mutare, Lupane, Chinhoyi, and Bulawayo as a next step during the fourth quarter.
Facilitate skills building and capacity development of women and youths in the informal and formal sector including marginalised groups through trainings, mentorship and promoting access to requisite equipment, and market linkages. UN Women 2024/12 Completed During the reporting period, the CO collaborated with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Bulawayo Chamber of SMEs, and ILO to launch the Maker Space Innovation for women in the textile industry on 18 July 2024. The launch was attended by key stakeholders, including the Provincial State Minister for Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, senior government officials, women entrepreneurs, local council members, and other key officials, including representatives from the UN (193 participants: 128 females, 65 male). As a next step, UN Women will explore ways to expand the MakerSpace Innovation, taking into consideration the request to support women in the leather industry presented by the Provincial Minister of State for Bulawayo Province.
Recommendation: 1. Recommendation 3: Undertake a thorough case study and document the culturally sensitive approach used in this project to earn trust, confidence and acceptance and subsequent uptake of vaccines by the religious sectors who have traditionally objected to modern medicine and other health interventions. This project made a true success story and if the approach can be understood, replicated on a larger scale, thousands of women and girls across the country and other similar contexts will be reached with lifesaving vaccines and health information. This will contribute to the development, equality and equity agenda for all women and girls. a. A detailed concept note, and case study documentation protocol can be developed, and the study be undertaken. This is one study that can be undertaken with the urgency it deserves given its potential to contribute to positive change in this area of women’s rights and gender equality. Men and boys are gate keepers in this space, as such if they are understood, interventions that address the norms that sustain inequalities can be devised and implemented to the equitable benefit of both.
Management Response: The country office takes note of the recommendation and will undertake a case study and document the culturally sensitive approach when resources are available.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Advocacy
Organizational Priorities: Humanitarian action, Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Develop a concept note to document best practices on culturally sensitive approaches. UN Women 2024/12 Completed Documentation has been happening in the CO.
Mobilise resources to undertake the documentation. UN Women 2026/12 Completed
Replicate the best practice on a larger scale to other similar contexts. UN Women 2026/12 Completed
Recommendation: Projects with a short lifespan such as this one, should not be procurement heavy. If they require procurement of equipment and vehicles, they must consider opportunities for doing such locally instead of procuring outside the country, especially the goods that can be found in the local market. If local procurement is considered, strict compliance to procurement procedures must be adhered to just as is expected. This is to ensure that the project delivers on its promises without questions or doubts from collaborating stakeholders.
Management Response: UN Women is committed to promoting local businesses and wherever possible, the CO procures from local suppliers. It is important to note that some funding comes with stipulated donor requirements around procurement and in such cases UN Women complies with the donor requirements. Unavailability of required goods and products at the time of procurement may hinder the process of buying from local suppliers. The CO will continue to strengthen programme specific discussions and collaborations between programmes team and procurement team as a way of expediting procurement processes especially during disasters.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination, Partnership, Normative Support, Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
In future similar projects, UN Women will continue to explore possible convenient options that comply with UN Women policies and regulations when procuring equipment and vehicles. UN Women 2026/12 Completed
Conduct continuous programme specific discussions and collaborations between programmes team and procurement team as a way of expediting procurement processes especially during disasters UN Women 2026/12 Completed The meetings are done on a monthly basis