UN in Zimbabwe Statement | National Expo on Inclusion and Rights of Persons with Disability

• Minister of State for Provincial affairs and Devolution Midlands Province, Hon L. Mavima
• Office of the President and Cabinet, Special Advisor on National Disability Issues, Hon J.T. Malinga
• National Disability Expo Chairperson, Mr T. Matope
• Chief Director, Department of Disability Affairs, Dr  E. Mthethwa
• Representatives of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities
• All Provincial leaders here present.
• Senior Government Officials
• My fellow UN colleagues
• Civil Society Organizations
• Ladies and Gentlemen
• Director of Ceremony

It is indeed an honour to speak on behalf of the United Nations Family at this year’s National Disability Exposition here in Gweru.

The United Nations joins in solidarity, the Government of Zimbabwe, Organizations of Persons with Disability, Civil Society Organizations, and other stakeholders during this auspicious occasion organised to increase advocacy and awareness on the rights of persons with disabilities in Zimbabwe.

I wish to congratulate the Office of the President and Cabinet, Special Advisor on National Disability Issues, Hon J.T. Malinga and indeed the entire Government and partners for organizing this National Disability Expo under the theme ‘Disability Mainstreaming and Inclusion for a Prosperous and Empowered Society which leaves No One Behind.”

A central promise that Member States of the United Nations made in 2015 when they adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was to leave no one behind and to reach those furthest behind first. . .

The Leaving NO One Behind Principle represents the unequivocal commitment of all UN Member States including Zimbabwe to eradicate poverty in all its forms, end discrimination and exclusion, and reduce inequalities and vulnerabilities that leave people behind and undermine their potential.  

The Agenda 2030 indeed brings new opportunities for persons with disabilities and their recognition as key actors in the collective journey of transforming our country and world at large. This National Disability Expo is an example of how countries are keeping the promise.

Aside from Agenda 2030, the UN’s work on disability inclusion is shaped by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The Convention’s principles and provisions have formed the basis of our work to protect, promote and fulfil the human Rights of the diverse population of persons with disabilities, including women and girls, older persons, refugees, migrants, indigenous people as well as other underrepresented groups.

I wish to recognize and commend the continued efforts of the Government of Zimbabwe for ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in September 2013.

Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate the Government of Zimbabwe for adopting the National Disability Policy that was launched on the 9th of June 2021 by the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, His Excellency E.D. Mnangagwa. The National Disability policy is yet another demonstration of the commitment at the highest level, that the Government of Zimbabwe is committed to fulfilling, promoting, protecting, and respecting the rights of persons with disabilities. As the United Nations, we continue to pledge our support towards the implementation of the National Disability Policy.

The United Nations remains committed to partnering with Government to advance the national development Agenda for the realization of the commitments and benchmarks made in the national Vision of 2030 and the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS)-2021-2025. To that end, the United Nations in collaboration with Government of Zimbabwe have just developed the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) (2022-2026) that outlines key areas of cooperation in the next four years. I am pleased to share that Disability rights and inclusion have been identified as a priority within the UN Sustainable Cooperation Framework and will feature in the workplans and activities of many members of the UN in Zimbabwe.  

In addition to that, the United Nations in Zimbabwe continues to support Government, OPDs and other Stakeholders through the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD) Programme. The UNPRPD Programme is a global UN initiative that supports countries to accelerate the implementation of the CRPD.

Through UNPRPD, the United Nations provides technical support to strengthen the legal and policy framework for disability rights and inclusion.  Furthermore, the UN supports capacity building of stakeholders and provides knowledge and practical tools to effectively implement laws, policies and programmes for disability inclusion, and mainstreaming in various sectors.

One of our key priorities going forward is to strongly collaborate with Government and other stakeholders to ensure disability inclusion in the planning and implementation of National Development Plans.

With these remarks of solidarity, I wish to assure you once again of the UN s’ commitment to our collaboration on the implementation of the agenda 2030 and SDGs. I wish to affirm our commitment to work closely with Government, OPDs and other stakeholders in accelerating the implementation of the National Disability Policy.  

Once again, congratulations to Government for hosting this National Disability Expo. There is no doubt that these past two days of the National Disability Expo have been a re-sounding success. I truly believe that exchanges, lessons learned, advocacy and awareness raising through this Expo will contribute towards the advancement of disability rights and inclusion in all spheres of our society and most importantly ensure that No One is Left Behind.  

I thank you for your attention.

UN Resident Coordinator ad Interim and UN Women Representative 

Delphine Serumaga