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Harare, Zimbabwe, 10 July 2025 — Following the launch of Zimbabwe’s Open SDG Data Portal, stakeholders gathered for a technical session focused on the critical next steps to strengthen monitoring, reporting, and the use of data for sustainable development.
Development partners, government officials, UN agencies, and civil society representatives participated in the session, reflecting on progress made and challenges ahead. The meeting underscored Zimbabwe’s ongoing efforts to improve its national statistical systems, foster accountability, and deliver on its promise to “leave no one behind” by 2030.
Ms Miranda Tabifor, the UNFPA Zimbabwe Representative, speaking on behalf of the Data for Development and Innovation Technical Working Group, co-chaired by the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator and Zimstat, explained that this technical segment was meant to go beyond celebration and focus on the practical requirements for robust SDG monitoring and reporting.
“As UNFPA, a data agency within the UN system, we coordinate much of the data-related work we do as the UN family in Zimbabwe,” she noted. “We’re here to reflect on what our development partners see as essential in making SDG monitoring meaningful, credible, and responsive to people’s needs.”
Ms Tabifor reminded participants that Zimbabwe has achieved significant milestones in SDG reporting, having submitted three Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) to date, with the next expected in 2027. “This time allows the country to harness the right indicators and results it wants to present,” they said, emphasizing that these reviews are critical for accountability at national and global levels.
“A promise without a plan is just hope; a plan without measurement is a ship without a rudder,” the representative said, underlining the importance of having both a strategy (the SDGs) and the measurement mechanisms (like the Open SDG Portal) to track progress.
The session also highlighted Zimbabwe’s growing emphasis on localizing SDG reporting. In addition to national-level reviews, Zimbabwe is supporting Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) to ensure development planning reaches communities and reflects their realities.
Participants praised Zimbabwe for establishing strong SDG coordination mechanisms—including a Steering Committee, Technical Committee, and thematic clusters that meet quarterly to ensure alignment of indicators and reduce fragmentation.
“This coordination is essential to link national development strategies, Agenda 2063, and Agenda 2030 commitments,” the speaker said, noting that the SDG framework and the new portal will help track the indicators required for both national and international reporting.
The technical session also acknowledged the critical role of Zimstat in managing the national SDG dashboard and in ensuring data credibility and harmonisation. However, speakers did not shy away from discussing challenges that remain.
One key issue identified was the need to review Zimbabwe’s Census and Statistics Act to modernize and strengthen Zimstat’s mandate. “We are working together—development partners and government—to provide technical comments and support to this review process,” they explained.
Another gap flagged was Zimbabwe’s pending ratification of the African Charter on Statistics. Advocacy work has already started in Parliament to secure ratification, which would strengthen the country’s statistical commitments at the continental level.
Looking ahead, participants called for better integration of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to enhance data collection, analysis, and use through the portal.
“Our pledge as development partners is to continue working with the government to strengthen Zimbabwe’s national statistics system,” the representative said. “We know that with strong partnerships, we can improve data quality, build sustainable national capacity, and ensure Zimbabwe can deliver on its development agenda.”
Speakers emphasized the need to prioritize disaggregated data—by sex, age, geography, disability status, and other factors—to ensure equitable, targeted policy responses. “Without such data, we cannot plan effectively or advocate for the needs of all our people,” they said.
Accountability was also a major theme. “Without accountability, we cannot have a transparent approach to maximize impact,” participants agreed. They also acknowledged funding challenges, urging a greater focus on mobilizing internal resources to support the data agenda.
The session closed with a reaffirmation of the United Nations’ commitment to supporting Zimbabwe through its UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, which aligns international partnerships with the country’s development strategies, including the upcoming National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).
“As the UN family, we are here to support the government technically and strategically,” the speaker said. “The launch of the Open SDG Data Portal is a tremendous achievement, but it’s only the beginning. We must now ensure it is used, maintained, and strengthened so that data drives development planning and decision-making at every level.”
In a final message to participants, the speaker offered a reminder drawn from Zimbabwe’s own SDG monitoring framework:
“Robust monitoring and reporting of the SDGs is the backbone of our development and planning. It transforms numbers into narratives and evidence into action. This will remain true not only today, but even after 2030.”
