Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched the country’s national disability policy on 9 June 2021 in Harare. The Policy which was developed with support from various stakeholders including the UN, seeks to address the marginalization and discrimination of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), empower them to improve their own quality of life and enable them to contribute towards the national development agenda. It sets standards for the inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in all facets of life, thereby serving as an overarching policy framework on disability across all sectors, including the public, private and development sectors.
President Mnangagwa called for an end to harmful practices, discrimination, marginalisation and exclusion of PWDs from participating in different sectors of the economy, adding that government departments should mainstream disability issues in their programmes.
He called on citizens to stop treating people with disabilities as charitable cases but rather treat them as equals who are capable of productively participating in the building of Zimbabwe.
The reality is that no one plans to be born with a disability or desire to acquire a disability. Hence, everyone has an equal chance of becoming a person with some kind of disability at any time. Guided by the values of Ubuntu, Hunu and the legislative obligations, both state and non-state actors have the collective obligation to do all which is possible for the fulfillment of the aspirations of this sector.
United Nations Resident Coordinator, Ms. Maria Ribeiro said the launch of the policy would reduce inequalities.
We continue encouraging the scaling of disability-inclusive budgeting by government.
The policy was crafted as a measure to assist in domesticating provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which Zimbabwe ratified. It is estimated that about 1.4 million people have some form of disability in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe was one of the first countries to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2013 and remain one of the few countries in Africa with legislation that specifically caters for people with disabilities. By domesticating the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the country would have moved together with other progressive countries in putting disability on the national agenda.
The national disability policy will ensure that facilities such as ramps, for those on wheelchairs and Braille for the visually impaired among other disabled friendly facilities are found in public places.
UNESCO through the United Nations Partnership for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD) and the European Union-funded Spotlight Initiative has been advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities in Zimbabwe. The Organisation provided assistance in the formulation of the Policy and will support its implementation.