WINDHOEK, Namibia, June 23 (NewsDay Live) - The Parliament of Zimbabwe, in partnership with the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF), has commenced a series of provincial public awareness hearings and youth engagement dialogues on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), HIV and AIDS governance aimed at placing young people’s voices at the centre of policy-making, legislation and service delivery.
The public engagements, running from June 22 to 26 in Bulawayo, Masvingo, Kwekwe, Kadoma and Harare, are being conducted under the Sweden-funded SADC PF SRHR, HIV and AIDS Governance Project (2023–2026). They seek to strengthen public understanding of SRHR issues while creating inclusive platforms through which adolescents and young people can share their experiences, concerns and recommendations regarding access to SRHR information and services.
The dialogues are being held under the theme, “Nothing For Us Without Us,” in line with the Parliament of Zimbabwe’s commitment to ensuring that young people are not merely recipients of policies and programmes but active participants in shaping them.
Ten MPs from the Youth Caucus are participating in the public outreach under the chairmanship of Manicaland Youth Quota legislator Stanley Sakupwanya.
The nationwide engagements follow a technical working group meeting convened in Harare on June 19,2026, where Members of Parliament, researchers and key stakeholders were equipped with practical advocacy, programming and budget literacy tools ahead of the provincial consultations.
Young people attending public awareness hearings and youth engagement dialogues on SRHR, HIV and AIDS governance at Lobengula Hall in Bulawayo
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The preparatory meeting reviewed evidence, experiences and lessons from previous SRHR interventions and agreed on strategies to strengthen evidence-informed, youth-centred and sustainably financed responses to SRHR, HIV and AIDS challenges facing young people in Zimbabwe.
Participants stressed the importance of ensuring that future parliamentary interventions are informed by first-hand community perspectives and grounded in credible evidence generated directly from young people.
The technical working group noted that the provincial dialogues present an important opportunity to deepen the national evidence base by capturing youth voices from diverse communities across the country. Through safe and inclusive spaces for open discussion, Parliament aims to gain a better understanding of what is working, where gaps persist and what practical measures are required to improve access to youth-friendly SRHR services.
The engagements are also aligned with Section 20 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which obliges the State and all institutions and agencies of government to ensure that young people have opportunities to participate fully in political, social, economic and other spheres of national life.
A citizen speaks during a public awareness hearing and youth engagement meeting on SRHR, HIV and AIDS governance in Bulawayo.
According to the organisers, the dialogues have four key objectives: gathering first-hand evidence on youth experiences in accessing SRHR services and information; identifying barriers affecting adolescents and young people while generating community-driven solutions; strengthening youth participation in parliamentary and governance processes; and informing future legislative, oversight, policy and budget interventions aimed at improving health outcomes.
Over the years, Parliament of Zimbabwe has increasingly embraced evidence-based engagement in addressing issues such as adolescent health, HIV and AIDS, child marriage prevention, mental health, gender equality and access to youth-friendly services. The current consultations are expected to further strengthen this approach by ensuring that the lived realities of young people directly inform national responses.
The hearings are open to members of the public, with particular emphasis on adolescents and young people, who are encouraged to participate actively and contribute recommendations that can shape more responsive policies, laws and programmes.
Organisers say by taking the SRHR conversation directly to communities, Parliament and its partners hope to build a stronger national consensus on improving access to health information and services while ensuring that future interventions are informed by the voices of those most affected.