UNFPA Representative Miranda Tabifor (left) shakes hands with WFP Representative Barbara Clemens
BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have reemphasized their commitment to the Zimbabwean people, by signing a Memorandum of Understanding, for the integration of health services and food assistance programmes.
Speaking at the signing of the MoU, UNFA Representative Miranda Tabifor said this marks a significant step forward in their collective efforts to address the interconnected needs of the Zimbabwean people they serve.
“As outlined in this MoU, UNFPA, as the lead UN Agency in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, is committed to ensuring every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
“We recognize that these goals cannot be achieved in isolation.
“This partnership with WFP, as the UN’s frontline agency in the fight against hunger and malnutrition, allows us to leverage our respective strengths and expertise for greater impact.
“This agreement establishes a framework for collaboration that integrates sexual and reproductive health and rights, including family planning, prevention of gender-based violence, and food and nutrition security into food assistance activities,” said Tabifor.
She added: “by targeting the same beneficiaries, especially women and young people, and building on WFP’s existing food distribution platforms, we can reach more people with essential services and information.
“This is not the first time we are collaborating. “In 2016 , we signed an MoU for the provision of food to pregnant women in Maternity Waiting Homes by WFP while UNFPA supported the maternity services including the refurbishments of the homes.
“This was implemented over a number of years.
“During the Cyclone Idai, WFP provided logistical services for the distribution of food and SRH commodities to the affected hospitals and maternity waiting homes in Chipinge and Chimanimani districts.
“The partnership continued during the Covid 19 pandemic when UNFPA supported with SRH IEC material and condoms which WFPF distributed at food distribution points.”
Tabifor further revealed that recently they collaborated to provide integrated services at the lean season assistance food distribution in Buhera. And UNFPA’s Implementing partner, Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council, provided outreach family planning services and through this agreement, they (UNFPA) will support the provision and integration of maternal, newborn, family planning, HIV, and gender-based violence services through our partners like the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council.
The UNFPA Rep added that: “we will also support training of food distribution stakeholders in Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), gender-based violence, risk mitigation, and safe referrals.
“This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 2 on Zero Hunger, Goal 3 on Good Health and Wellbeing, and Goal 5 on Gender Equality.
“We believe that by working together, we can support the Government of Zimbabwe in adopting a more holistic and integrated approach to these critical services.”
Similar sentiments were also echoed by Barbara Clemens, WFP Zimbabwe Representative and Country Director, who said WFP and UNFPA are coming together to deliver integrated responses, linking food security with sexual and reproductive health, nutrition with protection, and dignity with empowerment.
“In practical terms, it means that when a woman or adolescent girl comes to a food distribution site, she can also find information about family planning, access to services, or a safe pathway out of violence.
“This is what collaboration should look like practical, people-centred, and transformative.
“By joining forces, we are committing to reduce duplication, improve efficiency, and harness each agency’s strengths—WFP’s reach and operational footprint, and UNFPA’s expertise in SRHR and protection.
“Our partnership does not operate in a vacuum. As UN agencies, our job is to support national efforts, align with national priorities, and reinforce and capacitate government systems.
“Through this MoU, we aim to work even more closely with ministries such as Health and Child Care, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, and Women’s Affairs, ensuring that our joint interventions are relevant, timely, and impactful,” said Clemens.
She added that the MoU is their joint declaration of intent, a reaffirmation of shared commitment to better serving the people of Zimbabwe.
“It signals a deepened partnership rooted in the belief that sustainable development cannot be achieved in silos.
“If we are to truly deliver on the promise of the SDGs, we must embrace the spirit of collaboration that the One UN agenda champions.
“The world is changing. The development landscape is evolving rapidly with intersecting crises, growing vulnerabilities, and increasing demands on limited resources.
“As the Secretary-General recently reminded us in his address on the UN80 Initiative, this is not the time for business as usual.
“These are times of turbulence, yes, but also of tremendous opportunity.
“We have the opportunity to reimagine how we deliver on our mandates, to rethink how we organise our efforts for maximum impact, and to truly put the people we serve at the centre of our work,” said Clemens.
She added that the Secretary-General spoke about building a UN that is more nimble, more efficient, and better aligned with today’s realities.
“This partnership reflects that call. It is part of a broader shift from fragmented interventions to integrated service delivery, from reactive programming to anticipatory action, and from institutional convenience to community impact.
“Let us use this moment to recommit ourselves to the power of collaboration within the UN family and across government, civil society, and communities.
“When we work together, we go further. And when we keep the people we serve at the centre of our efforts, we make lasting progress,” she added.
