Government approves Principles of the Zimbabwe Youth Bill

The Cabinet has approved the principles of the Zimbabwe Youth Bill which was presented by the Ministry of Youth Sports, Arts, and Recreation.

Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Kirsty Coventry said in a media briefing on Tuesday that current legislation on the youth provides only for the Zimbabwe Youth Council and is silent on all the other aspects of the youth hence objective of the bill is thus to have an all encompassing legislation that addresses all sectors of the youth.

“The objective of the bill is to addresses all areas of the youth, align it to the constitution, as well as the domestication of the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child and the SADC Declaration on Youth Development and empowerment ,” She said.

“This Bill will provide for, among others, the following: the empowerment of the youth and their indispensable contributions to sustainable progress and change”.

“It will also provide the mechanisms for active and meaningful participation of youth in nation building by mainstreaming them in social, economic and political spaces; and the establishment of youth focal desks in all Government ministries and departments at all levels”.

Public bills generally go through preliminary stages before they brought to parliament, with the responsible Minister first presenting proposal to the cabinet. Once the cabinet is satisfied that proposals are in line with government policy the responsible Minister is directed to prepare a draft along agreed lines.