Youth Parliamentarians from Zimbabwe’s Parliamentary Youth Caucus have said while their election into Parliament through the youth quota is a breakthrough, it is insufficient to ensure the views and aspirations of young people find expression in policy making. They argue that strengthening their capacities to debate matters before parliament through the provision of information, knowledge, data, and other relevant tools, will enhance their ability to effectively represent their constituency. The legislators were speaking at a dissemination meeting for an Accountability Lab Policy Note on Drug and Substance Abuse on 13 December in Harare.

The meeting was attended by members of the Parliamentary Youth Caucus, including its Chairperson, the Honorable Stanley Sakupwanya, the Clerk of the Parliamentary Youth Caucus, representatives from the security services (including the Zimbabwe Defense Forces and the Zimbabwe Republic Police), and civil society. The Parliamentarians welcomed the policy input, encouraging Accountability Lab to continue convening engagement platforms with parliament for expert analysis and recommendations on issue of national interest.

The policy note examines the context of drug and substance abuse in Zimbabwe in relation to the government’s response. It then offers recommendations for the government, parliament, and civil society. These include review and strengthening of existing legislation to respond to the rapid changes in the complex drug value chains, and a shift from legalistic and punitive approaches to human-centered approaches that focus on public health and accountability.

The policy engagement with the Parliamentary Youth caucus builds on the Policy Dialogue Forum on Drug Abuse convened by Accountability Lab in June 2023, attended by key stakeholders including Parliament, the office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator, the Ministry of Public Service Labor and Social Welfare and representatives from civil society. Accountability Lab’s involvement in drug abuse related interventions is informed by the feedback from CivActs surveys in target districts that identified the drug abuse crisis as one of the major community challenges in CivActs implementation sites.

The dissemination meeting, targeting Youth Parliamentarians, was informed by findings from a research by the Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drugs Network that showed that 57% of young people are involved in drug and substance abuse. It is important for legislators to champion the concerns of communities in parliament and to use their voice and vantage position to advocate for the aspirations of young people.

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Bathabile Dlamini is the Media and Communications Officer at Accountability Lab Zimbabwe