By Kundai Marunya

GOVERNMENT, through the Ministry of Public Service Labour and Social Welfare will for the first time spearhead the Voluntary National Review (VNR) process of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The ministry recently held a consultation workshop on the SDGs marking the third Voluntary National Review kickstarting a nationwide data gathering on SDGs.

This is the first time the Government is spearheading the process, having engaged consultants for previous VNR processes in 2016 and 2021.

Efforts are being made to ensure that comprehensive data is collected from all stakeholders and communities, both rural and urban.

The inclusive process is in line with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s policy of ‘Leaving no-one and no place behind’.

SDGs are a call to action to end poverty and inequality, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy health, justice and prosperity.

The 17 SDGs propounded by the United Nations (UN) are: no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, industry innovation and infrastructure, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, protection of life below water, protection of life on land, peace, justice and strong institutions and partnerships for the goals.

They are all targeted to be achieved by the year 2030.

In a speech read by Getrude Matsika, UN Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, on behalf of UN Resident Coordinator, Edward Kallon, a call was made for immediate action to achieve the goals.

“At midpoint of the 2030 Agenda, the world is not on track to meet most of the Goals by 2030,” said Kallon.

“The UN Secretary General has warned that if we do not take immediate action, the 2030 Agenda will remain a mere epitaph for a world that could have been.

“The Secretary General has highlighted that, the picture is incomplete due to persistent challenges in securing timely data…While progress has been made in improving data for SDG monitoring, with the number of indicators included in the global SDG database increasing from 115 in 2016 to 225 in 2022, there are still significant gaps in geographic coverage, timeliness, and disaggregation”.

Zimbabwe has made significant strides towards achieving the SDGs, with the Government’s National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) being the vehicle being used to attain the set goals by 2030.

Some of the Government’s notable  initiatives to end poverty and hunger include the hugely successful conservation agricultural programme Pfumvudza/Intwasa.

The Government introduced climate smart agriculture in the form of the Climate Proofed Presidential Input Scheme (Pfumvudza/Intwasa) to ensure food security for communal farmers who largely lack the capacity to mitigate the effects of climate change on their own.

Pfumvudza/intwasa is a crop production intensification approach under which farmers ensure the efficient use of resources on a small area of land in order to optimise its management.

The highly successful programme has mitigated the effects of climate change while encouraging responsible production.

Climate change induced drought impacts have greatly affected communal farmers who depended on rain fed agriculture. This has led to food insecurity which attracted donor aid year after year.

Reportedly, drought is the most persistent natural disaster impacting Zimbabwe and is responsible for causing six out of ten major natural disasters between 1991 and 2013.

However, pfumvudza/intwasa has  improved yields and reduced donor aid.

The Pfumvudza initiative is in line with national vision 2030 where the poor are to be elevated through agriculture and up streaming them in the main economy.

Its massive uptake has improved yields and enhanced household food security for the majority of smallholder farmers and other nations are eager to replicate the programme in their countries.

For instance, the various countries who attended the Dakar II Feed Africa Summit in Senegal expressed overwhelming interest in the county’s Pfumvudza, Intwasa programme.

Zimbabwe is also on course of meeting the SDGs targets on the back of ongoing massive infrastructure development projects which are at the core of the new dispensation.

The country’s road network has been rejuvenated and expanded in a bid to increase local and regional trade.

The private sector and individual citizens have been working round the clock constructing world-class shopping malls and housing infrastructure.

There is also a wave of infrastructural development in rural areas where homes and entertainment facilities competing with those in urban centres are being built.

This is where most mining operations are being set up.

Places like Goromonzi, Mutoko, Mberengwa and the Eastern Highlands are some of the areas that have received a timely boost, especially with the discovery of lithium, a key component in the new green world.

Export increases in mining and agricultural sectors, with products mostly coming from small-scale producers are some of the development indicators that put Agenda 2030 within the country’s reach.

There was general consensus at the workshop that data, especially from remote communities and the informal sector was not readily available.

This makes previous reports in-comprehensive, as the informal sector is one of the biggest earners and employers with figures estimated at over 80 percent of the country’s economically active citizens and accounting for 40 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

 “As we embark on this VNR journey, data and evidence utilisation will be critical. We need data to tell the story of our progress, challenges and opportunities. As we plan and execute this VNR process, it is important to emphasize use of data and the principle of “Leaving No One Behind” is at the core of the SDGs and the Government of Zimbabwe’s stated development principle as enunciated by His Excellency President Mnangagawa. This principle underscores the need to ensure that every individual, regardless of their circumstances, benefits from development programmes and progress,” said Matsika.

The VNR workshop was evident of the multi-stakeholder approach and included the informal sector represented by vendors’ unions, women organisations to ensure gender inclusivity, youth organisations, entrepreneurs, and representatives of People With Disabilities (PWDs), among other stakeholders.

Permanent Secretary for Public service, Labour and Social Welfare, Simon Masanga, said the VNR helped to increase awareness of SDGs and national development plans among the citizens in line with the overarching principle of leaving no one behind.

“This time, unlike the previous VNRs, this third VNR is being conducted by the Government together with stakeholders to ensure buy-in and ownership of the process by the people of Zimbabwe,” he said.

“The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, as the lead coordinator in the VNR development process has spearheaded the constitution of the VNR drafting team. A diverse team was constituted from across the diversity of our stakeholders including Government ministries, departments and agencies; private sector; civil society organisations; academia among others to assist in conducting the VNR. 

 “In line with the country’s mantra of leaving no one and no place behind, the Government intends to conduct consultations in all the 10 provinces of Zimbabwe, and today marks the 1st provincial consultation,” said Masanga.

“This is being done to ensure that voices of people in all areas of the country are reflected in the VNR Report. This exercise is valuing input of all Zimbabweans”. 

Masanga said priority on consultations and engagements will be given to special groups such as PWDs, youth, women and the elderly.

“The consultations will be complemented by contributions from the SDGs Progress Reports, Voluntary Local Reviews and other National Reports to come up with a detailed VNR report”, he said.

“We are very diverse in terms of our constituencies, and this will enable us to gather a wide range of information important in the implementation and attainment of Sustainable Development Goals”.

Government has equipped and encouraged local authorities with knowledge and expertise to carry out VLRs in their areas to ensure inclusivity is attained at every level.

Some stakeholders may not be aware of how they are contributing to SDGs by merely carrying out their daily tasks such as a farmer growing crops or rearing livestock, a small-scale miner carrying out mining activities, or the village women’s organisation involved in collaborative savings programmes (mukando).

Realisation that climate change is real through current experiences including heat-waves, drought and the Elnino effect is pushing communities towards smart practices.

Masanga said recording of every stakeholders’ input be it social or economic will bring about a comprehensive report which will be presented at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July next year.

“Let’s all be mindful of the need to include cross-cutting issues such as gender mainstreaming, youth inclusion, climate change, disability and partnerships, among other issues,” said Masanga.

“These cross cutting issues are a part of our everyday life, hence their importance cannot be overemphasised. This is our document, let’s all make an effort to ensure we are able to tell our success stories, areas for improvement, as well as share our experiences at a national level so that the world knows and can learn from what we are doing as Zimbabwe”.