UNESCO promotes the Zimbabwe National Disability Board Strategic Plan

The UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa has developed a promotional video to present the mandate, roles, and strategy of the Zimbabwe National Disability Board. The objective of this promotional video is to create public awareness on the national frameworks and bodies that exist to ensure disability inclusion, especially after the Government of Zimbabwe launched a National Disability Policy in June 2021.

Through the European Union funded Spotlight Initiative, the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa has collaborated with the Ministry of Public Service, Labor and Social Welfare in supporting the National Disability Board (NDB). Since January 2020, the Board has finalized and approved 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. The Strategic Plan also lays out the main lines of action, which include:

1. Increased participation of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in socio-economic and political   activities;
2. Improved access to social protection services by PWD;
3. Ending GBV, HP and promoting SRHR of women and girls with disabilities;
4. Increased disability rights mainstreaming in government institutions;
5. Improved governance;
6. Increased partnerships; and
7. Increased resource mobilization.