Gendered Dimensions of Natural Resource Control within the Community Share Ownership Trusts in Zimbabwe
Presenter's country
Zimbabwe
Start Date
28-5-2016 2:05 PM
End Date
28-5-2016 3:10 PM
Location
Hall I
Submission type
Presentation
Abstract
In 2010 the government of Zimbabwe embarked on an ambitious programme meant to ensure communities benefit from resource extraction in their areas. The government initiated Community Share Ownership Trusts (CSOTs) as a means of ensuring community empowerment. This paper questions how men and women are involved in the control of resources within the CSOTs. It shows that there are many challenges facing CSOTs such as the lack of accountability and consultation of local people in decision making. This is more so for women who are represented by one person in the committees. Local elites in particular traditional chiefs and political leaders have benefitted at the expense of communities. The paper shows that there are also many social projects initiated through CSOTs which include building and rehabilitating clinics, roads, schools and boreholes. Women’s interests have however remained at the periphery with the everyday experiences of rural women at times far removed from the rhetoric and plans of policy makers. The policy framework guiding empowerment, indigenisation and creation of CSOTs in Zimbabwe has largely ignored the various international agreements on gender such as the SADC Protocol to which the government is party to. The paper concludes that without concerted political will women will remain at the periphery of community resource management frameworks in Africa.
Keywords
Gender, women, natural resources, community share ownership trust, Zimbabwe, power, inequality, local elites, traditional leaders
Gendered Dimensions of Natural Resource Control within the Community Share Ownership Trusts in Zimbabwe
Hall I
In 2010 the government of Zimbabwe embarked on an ambitious programme meant to ensure communities benefit from resource extraction in their areas. The government initiated Community Share Ownership Trusts (CSOTs) as a means of ensuring community empowerment. This paper questions how men and women are involved in the control of resources within the CSOTs. It shows that there are many challenges facing CSOTs such as the lack of accountability and consultation of local people in decision making. This is more so for women who are represented by one person in the committees. Local elites in particular traditional chiefs and political leaders have benefitted at the expense of communities. The paper shows that there are also many social projects initiated through CSOTs which include building and rehabilitating clinics, roads, schools and boreholes. Women’s interests have however remained at the periphery with the everyday experiences of rural women at times far removed from the rhetoric and plans of policy makers. The policy framework guiding empowerment, indigenisation and creation of CSOTs in Zimbabwe has largely ignored the various international agreements on gender such as the SADC Protocol to which the government is party to. The paper concludes that without concerted political will women will remain at the periphery of community resource management frameworks in Africa.