Zanzibar Blue Economy Gender Strategy and Action Plan.

The Zanzibar Blue Economy Policy emphasizes the promotion of social inclusion, gender equality, and equity, with a key focus on optimizing the contributions of women to ocean-based economic growth and poverty reduction. This Gender Strategy and Action Plan underscores our dedication to gender mainstreaming across all levels of priority within Zanzibar’s blue economy policy. Additionally, the Strategy acknowledges the growing global recognition of the significance of oceans and the blue economy in addressing climate change and ensuring environmental sustainability. The strategy recognizes the participation and leadership of women and girls for making climate, environmental and disaster risk reduction initiatives more effective. The overall objective of the Gender Strategy and Action Plan is to enhance transparent and robust gender transformative interventions across Zanzibar’s traditional sectors like fisheries and aquaculture and emerging sectors of the Blue Economy such as sustainable tourism, maritime trade and infrastructure, and energy.
The Blue Economy Gender Strategy and Action Plan has been collaboratively developed through consultations with various stakeholders, including government ministries, agencies, non-governmental organizations, development partners, and representatives from Women Rights Organizations and local communities. The input from this extensive network reflects a collective effort towards ensuring a comprehensive and inclusive blue economy framework. The Gender Strategy and Action Plan derives its vision of gender equality from the Constitution of Zanzibar, which deems all persons to be equal, and entitled, without any discrimination, to protection and equality before the law. It receives its mandate from the Zanzibar Blue Economy Policy which promotes social inclusion, gender equality and equity, while optimizing the contribution of women to ocean-based economic growth and poverty reduction. It is strengthened by the Zanzibar Gender Policy, which aims to eliminate all forms of discrimination among women and men; addresses gender gaps in access to marine resources, financial services, and labour markets, and promotes women’s empowerment across blue economy sectors.
Gender mainstreaming recognizes that the outcomes of any developmental intervention can be significantly different for men and women because of their gender-differentiated access to productive resources, assets, services, voice and agency. Gender mainstreaming therefore aims to enhance the role of women in society and in the economy, consequently enhancing women’s capacity to contribute to economic growth and environment sustainability, with positive impacts on their social and economic status; their public participation and political representation, and on the food security and stability of coastal communities. In this context, it seeks to: Promote social and economic inclusion, with care to the needs of the most vulnerable sections, through gender mainstreaming at all levels across all sectors, Ensure food security and climate resilience through sustainable Blue Economy development, Strengthen policy coherence, collaboration and coordination between multiple sectors and stakeholders to ensure gender-inclusive and sustainable growth.