News

UNESCO collaborates with First Lady to empower persons with disabilities

21 September 2020

Last update:20 April 2023

UNESCO Regional Office for Southern on Friday joined hands with Zimbabwe’s First Lady, H.E. Auxillia Mnangagwa to empower persons with disabilities with skills and knowledge to unlock their potential and ensure they lead better lives and contribute to the country’s development.

Speaking at an interface meeting convened by the First Lady with persons with disabilities in Harare, UNESCO Regional Director for Southern Africa, Prof. Hubert Gijzen applauded the initiative saying it was in harmony with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’s call to leave no one behind.

The commitment to leave no one behind won’t be achieved if we do not ensure the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society. Because they are, still today, the most left behind and invisible, and among the most vulnerable especially when crises hit. It is therefore our duty and responsibility to create the necessary enabling environments by, for and with persons with disabilities, in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

Prof. Hubert Gijzen, UNESCO Regional Director

Addressing the interface, the First Lady bemoaned exclusion of persons with disabilities from all facets of life, including economic empowerment programmes. She spelt the need for people to come together to open doors of economic empowerment for persons with disabilities.

If we work in silos, we will not accomplish much, but if we work in unity, including with persons with disabilities themselves, we will go far.

First Lady, H.E. Auxillia Mnangagwa

Special Advisor in the Office of the President and Cabinet on disability issues, Honourable Joshua Malinga came out in full support of the programme, saying most challenges faced by disabled persons were not made by God, but by society.

Disability is not the condition of my body. I have no problem with my body. Disability is the way I am treated by society. Society thinks we can’t be like any other people.

Hon. Joshua Malinga

He called for more awareness raising on disability rights in communities for perception change.

UNESCO ROSA Director handover some facemasks to the First Lady of Zimbabwe, for distribution to persons with disabilities in the country. As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, UNESCO ROSA initiated with Leonard Cheshire Disability Zimbabwe and ZUVVA, a training programme for girls and women with disabilities to design and produce facemasks. These were some of the facemasks handed over to the First Lady.

UNESCO considers disability inclusion and rights to be one of its principle priorities in supporting Member States globally, including in the Southern Africa region. Disability inclusion drives UNESCO’s actions in the fields of Education, Sciences, Culture, and Access to information. A Disability Right-based approach is fundamental to shift negative social and cultural norms and practices.

Since 2018, UNESCO ROSA has been leading a UN Joint Programme on Advancing the Rights of Women and Girls with Disabilities in Zimbabwe, supported by the UN Partnership for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD).