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Gender Reporter
BULAWAYO Province will tomorrow join the rest of the world to mark International Women’s Day at Amakhosi community grounds in Gwabalanda. The day was set aside to reflect on progress made towards women’s empowerment and call for change where women are disadvantaged. This year, worldwide governments and activists also take time to reflect on achievements, recognise challenges and focus attention on women’s rights and gender equality.

Held under the theme: “Beijing +20: The Journey Towards Women Empowerment in Zimbabwe,” the day is marked yearly on March 8.

According to the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development, organisers of the event, the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs for Bulawayo, Cde Nomthandazo Sandi-Moyo, will be the guest of honour. “The day will start with a march at Old Terminus in Luveve at 9AM,” the ministry said.

This year’s theme is in line with United Nations theme, which highlights the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, an unprecedented road map signed by 189 governments 20 years ago to help set the agenda for the realisation of women’s rights.

While there have been many achievements since then, many serious gaps remain.

The action plan focuses on 12 critical areas of concern, and envisions a world where women and girls can exercise their choice, among them getting an education, having an income and living in a violence-free society.

In her message for International Women’s Day, UN Women executive director, Phumzile Mlambo-Nqcuka, said gender parity must be reached before 2030, so that the sluggish trajectory of progress can be reversed that condemns a child born today to wait 80 years before they see an equal world.

She called on all countries “to step it up” for gender equality, to reach Planet 50-50 before 2030.

Planet 50-50 is a UN programme that galvanises attention and appeals to governments to give gender inequality a firm expiration date, spotlighting that real progress requires men and women to be treated on a 50-50 basis.