Hwange Local Board’s key mandate is to provide quality social services and sustainable infrastructure development through good governance. The Council has noted that the decisions and actions that it adopts in order to achieve this mandate, affect men and women in the society differently. Council has realised that it is of great importance to equally involve men and women in decision making and also to ensure that they equally benefit from the Council’s services.

To achieve this, Hwange Local Board has adopted gender mainstreaming as an organisational strategy to ensure that gender equality and equity are considered as integral components of the Council’s policies, programmes and day to day operations. Gender mainstreaming is more than adding a “women’s component”, but a cross cutting strategy set to benefit all men, women, girls and boys.

 Hwange Local Board has formulated this gender policy to guide its operations in delivering its mandate. It has been developed to align with HLB’s Strategic Plan, which is the guiding service delivery and capital development framework for the Council. The policy is guided by section 17 and 56 of the Zimbabwean Constitution which seeks to promote gender balance, equality and non-discrimination.  It is also guided by the Zimbabwe’s National Gender Policy and the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development. The National Gender Policy requires all multi-sectorial actors (state and non-state) to integrate gender perspectives in all aspects of development and to take appropriate actions to address gender inequalities within their areas of authority. The SADC Protocol on Gender and Development clearly highlights that the key to sustainable development is through integrating and mainstreaming gender issues into community building initiatives.

For more information about gender mainstreaming contact us or visit Gender Links. Gender Links is a organisation that promotes gender equality in and through the media, and in all areas of governance. The organisation also develops policies and action plans to ensure that gender equality is achieved, especially at the local level.