Govt, ActionAid urge youths to be partners, not just beneficiaries, in disaster risk management

HARARE – Government and ActionAid Zimbabwe have called for young people to be formally integrated into the country’s disaster risk governance structures, saying youths must be treated as partners and decision‑makers rather than passive beneficiaries.


Speaking at the 3rd Zimbabwe Youth Symposium on Disaster Risk Reduction in Harare on Monday, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Public Works Engineer Benjamin Kabikira said the platform had grown into “a significant national platform for youth engagement in disaster risk management”.

Kabikira said young people often bear the brunt of disasters yet possess the innovation, energy and leadership needed to strengthen national resilience.

“Young people often bear a disproportionate share of impacts. Yet they also possess the creativity, innovation, energy and leadership needed to transform risks into opportunities for resilience,” he said.

He said government was deepening youth participation at national, provincial, district and community levels, reaffirming support for the Zimbabwe National Youth Desk on Disaster Risk Reduction, established in 2024 and now recognised as “a credible and effective mechanism for youth engagement in disaster risk governance”.

Kabikira also updated delegates on the proposed Disaster Risk Management Bill, which will replace the Civil Protection Act. He said the Bill shifts Zimbabwe from a response‑focused model to one centred on prevention, preparedness, mitigation and resilience building, while strengthening coordination and early‑warning systems.

ActionAid Zimbabwe Country Director Dr Selina Pasirayi said the symposium had evolved into a space where young people were no longer mere participants but “co‑authors” of policy.

“The young researchers presenting today bring forward findings rooted in their own lived realities and research — on early warning systems, water scarcity and community adaptation strategies that rarely enter formal datasets,” Pasirayi said.

“If policy is to be effective, it must be informed by this kind of grounded evidence.”

She urged stakeholders to close the gap between consultation and meaningful institutionalisation of youth in disaster governance. Pasirayi said ActionAid would continue supporting the National Youth Desk and working with the Department of Civil Protection at national and subnational levels.

She also backed the push to finalise the Disaster Risk Management Bill, calling it “a foundation for accountability, coordination and equitable protection”. ActionAid has supported the Bill’s development since 2022.

Kabikira encouraged youths to continue contributing to the legislative process, saying recommendations from the symposium would help shape an inclusive and future‑oriented framework.

Held under the theme “From Risk to Resilience: Reclaiming Youth Agency in Disaster Risk Management,” the one‑day symposium brought together between 80 and 100 participants who produced a youth position statement and policy recommendations for government and Parliament. The outcomes are expected to feed into ongoing national consultations on Zimbabwe’s disaster governance reforms.