DENMARK AND ZIMBABWE DANIDA INTERNATIONAL A PARTNERSHIP FOR DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

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1 DENMARK AND ZIMBABWE A PARTNERSHIP FOR DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT DANIDA INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

2 I believe that development and state building must be based on human rights, democratic values, transparency and inclusion. Zimbabwe has an enormous potential vested in its people. Denmark gives great importance to our partnership with Zimbabwe and we strongly support the right to a better life for every Zimbabwean Mr Erik Brøgger Rasmussen, Chargé d Affaires e.p., Royal Danish Embassy Office

3 DENMARK IN ZIMBABWE The Danish engagement in Zimbabwe aims to build democratic institutions and promote universal human rights while at the same time supporting economic inclusive growth, private sector development and improved livelihood for ordinary Zimbabweans. DANISH DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION IN ZIMBABWE The current Denmark-Zimbabwe Development Partnership Programme runs from The priorities of the programme are: Democratic and Accountable Governance Infrastructure Rehabilitation and Policy Development Private Sector Development in Agriculture OUR TOOLBOX Through partnerships with Zimbabwean, regional and international actors we actively engage in the promotion of a democratic Zimbabwe. Denmark is a member of the European Union (EU) and pro-actively collaborates with other member states on common objectives. Denmark makes use of a variety of instruments in Zimbabwe. Diplomacy & Dialogue Trade & Private Sector Development Development Cooperation For more information about Danida:

4 DEMOCRATIC AND ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNANCE PROMOTING A STABLE AND PEACEFUL MULTI-PARTY DEMOCRACY Since the signing of the Global Political Agreement in 2009, support to the democratic transition processes and establishment of democratic and accountable governance has been a key component in the partnership between Denmark and Zimbabwe. The joint intervention is inter alia securing access to justice for all Zimbabweans, supporting democratic processes and working towards elimination of gender based violence. MORE EFFECTIVE AND INDEPENDENT JUSTICE DELIVERY The justice sector has in previous years experienced challenges in its accessibility and effective functioning. The aim of this component is to enhance access to justice for all Zimbabweans by supporting the development of a more effective and independent justice delivery system. Cooperation with the judiciary on key priority areas such as the case flow-management system, enhanced training and capacity building of judiciary staff, promotion of anti-corruption measures and the physical upgrade of magistrate courts has resulted in a 65 % decrease in case backlog in the Magistrate Courts. An efficient judiciary contributes to restoring judiciary confidence into court users and even judicial staff. Furthermore the component promotes the linkages between the justice and social welfare systems as to achieve accelerated and effective justice delivery. TOWARDS ELIMINATION OF GENDER BASED VIOLENCE Women's rights in terms of equal participation, access to justice and freedom from gender-based violence are crucial for the general fulfilment of human rights and poverty reduction. This is why Denmark is very committed to promoting gender equality in Zimbabwe with a special focus on gender-based violence against women and girls. This work is focused on development of national frameworks and legislation, as well as prevention and access to services for victims including legal aid, medical aid, shelter, and psycho-social assistance. Together with UNICEF Denmark has established 20 Victim-Friendly-Courts creating a more victim friendly justice system, benefiting both women and children.

5 INFRASTRUCTURE REHABILITATION AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT As a partner in both the Zim-Fund and the Analytical Multi Donor Trust Fund (A-MDTF) Denmark works for infrastructure rehabilitation and policy development in Zimbabwe. WHAT THE ZIM-FUND WORKS FOR Through the Zim-Fund Denmark collaborates with other donors to facilitate rehabilitation of existing infrastructure in order to improve the quality of life for a large number of Zimbabweans. The Fund manages restoration and stabilization of water supply and sanitation services throughout the country with a focus on increased reliability, quality and availability of water. Furthermore the Fund undertakes rehabilitation of the Hwange Power Station to improve the reliability of power supply in an environmentally sound way. The Fund is managed by the African Development Bank in close cooperation with donors and the Zimbabwean Ministry of Finance. EFFECTIVE POLICY DEVELOPMENT Effective policy development along with analytical work on public sector aspects continue to be of great importance. This is why Denmark supports the Analytical Multi-Donor Trust Fund (A-MDTF). The Fund works for policy development on the basis of comprehensive analytical studies. The Fund supports the undertaking of such studies and offers technical assistance within three priority areas: economic management and governance, agriculture and infrastructure. The A-MDTF has in this manner made important contributions in informing government policy and thus contributed to a democratic, economically robust and environmentally sound Zimbabwe for all citizens. The Fund is managed by the World Bank. For more information: For more information:

6 PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT IN AGRICULTURE IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY IN THE SMALLHOLDER FARMING SECTOR Denmark supports the promotion of growth in the agriculture sector in Zimbabwe. The agriculture sector remains essential for the livelihood of many Zimbabweans and holds great potential for further development. The main objective of the Danish supported interventions to contribute to improvements in the smallholder farming sector, leading to increased food security and incomes of rural households. The interventions include a credit facility (the Create Fund), innovative mechanisms to strengthen agriculture activities and business advocacy. THE CREATE FUND: CHANGING THE LIVES OF SMALLHOLDER FARMERS Denmark channels support through a credit facility, the Create Fund, which has been established to boost productivity in the agricultural sector by providing access to capital based on sustainable, market-based approaches. The Fund's capital is routed through selected commercial banks to agribusiness entities that maintain business relations with smallholder farmers. The Create Fund responds to the substantial need for access to credit in Zimbabwe and thereby ultimately contributes to improved productivity in the smallholder farming sector. The Create Fund on-lends capital to qualifying borrowers through three funding windows: the inputs window, which relates to production and distribution of agricultural input; the output marketing window, which consists of agricultural processes such as harvesting and marketing and the storage/processing window, which addresses the needs of safekeeping of produce. The Create Fund does not provide grants but loans, which the borrower most repay on stipulated terms and conditions however, the loans are serviced at an attractive interest rate and with a longer tenure than otherwise found on the market.

7 TRADE AND PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT THE PRIVATE SECTOR AS A KEY AVENUE FOR DEVELOPMENT IN ZIMBABWE An active and dynamic private sector is essential for further development in Zimbabwe. Denmark is focussed on promoting sustainable, inclusive and green economic growth in Zimbabwe. This also includes support to the private sector. In relation to private sector development in agriculture, Denmark has been instrumental in setting up a credit facility, which provides small and medium sized enterprises with access to credit. Denmark is also supporting business sector member organisations in their policy dialogue and advocacy work to present private sector viewpoints to decision makers and thereby address the framework conditions for private enterprises. The Danish-Zimbabwean bilateral commercial relations are constantly developing and trade is expected to play an increased role in the future.

8 HISTORY OF COOPERATION BETWEEN DENMARK AND ZIMBABWE Denmark and Zimbabwe have a long history of cooperation. During the struggle for independence, Denmark was a strong supporter of a free and independent Zimbabwe and continued to provide extensive support for its development after independence. Following the crisis culminating around 2008, Denmark contributed to re-establishing health and education services through the provision of textbooks for all primary and secondary students, as well as supporting health worker retention in Royal Danish Embassy Office, Harare government hospitals. Together with other development partners Denmark has since 2008 helped about 2 million of the most vulnerable people out of immediate food shortage and distress. With the gradual increase in development cooperation Denmark has emerged as one of the largest bilateral donors in the country with the Royal Danish Embassy Office in Harare administrating the on-going Danida programme in the country. Contact Details: Royal Danish Embassy Office, Box HG 44, 2 Arden Road, Harare, Zimbabwe. Tel: / 3. hreamb@um.dk Web: