![[Zimbabwe] Government and WFP in five year plan to build country’s resilience and end hunger](Maize-Plantation.jpg)
[Zimbabwe] Government and WFP in five year plan to build country’s resilience and end hunger
The World Food Programme (WFP), together with the Government of Zimbabwe, launched a five-year plan today to build resilience, end hunger and boost nutrition in country.
“We are delighted with the collaboration between WFP and the Government in our bold and shared vision of a hunger-free Zimbabwe. This new plan is an embodiment of our partnership. While maintaining our strong emergency capacity, we will also focus on building the resilience of vulnerable, food-insecure Zimbabweans, and reinforcing national social protection efforts,” said Eddie Rowe, WFP Zimbabwe Representative and Country Director.
WFP is the first United Nations agency to align its corporate strategy (2017-2021) with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), clearly outlining how the agency both contributes to and supports governments to achieve them.
WFP Zimbabwe, as of April 1, is one of the first countries to execute this shift at the country-level. While maintaining strong humanitarian assistance capacity, WFP Zimbabwe’s new Country Strategic Plan (2017- 2021) focuses on supporting longer-term national social protection and resilience efforts, strengthening the systems and institutions needed to help achieve Zero Hunger.
At the core of the plan are partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders and strong support for national efforts.
“The Office of the President and Cabinet in Zimbabwe welcomes WFP’s Country Strategic Plan, which fully reflects the national objectives set forth in the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation,” said Ozias Hove, Senior Principal Director, Office of the President and Cabinet.
“WFP’s efforts support the Government’s social protection strategy, so that vulnerable populations across the country are able to meet their basic needs all year round, and thus minimize the need for humanitarian responses in future,” added Prisca Mupfumira, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare.
The Country Strategic Plan is based on the 2015 Zero Hunger Strategic Review, led by the Vice Chancellor of the Women’s University in Africa, Professor Hope C. Sadza, and undertaken in collaboration with a number of stakeholders in Zimbabwe.
The review presents a thorough analysis of the root causes of hunger and gaps in support where, through partnerships, WFP can add value and make a difference to people’s lives.
The review findings highlights the need to move away from short-term food assistance to longer-term technical assistance, building sustainable systems to eradicate hunger and improve nutrition.
“The SDGs require we work together- no single actor can achieve them alone. WFP Zimbabwe’s five-year Strategic Plan is an excellent example of UN agencies working together to achieve Zero Hunger by supporting national food and nutrition security programmes through the 2016-2020 Zimbabwe United Nations Development Assistance Framework,” said Bishow Parajuli, UN Resident Coordinator in Zimbabwe.
WFP’s work is aligned with the Zimbabwe National Development Plan, the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZIM ASSET 2013-2018) areas of food and nutrition security, social services and poverty eradication; and the Zimbabwe United Nations Development Assistance Framework (ZUNDAF 2016-2020).
