Final Papers of the 2021 National Symposium on Human Rights Implications of Social, Political, Economic and Legal Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic

The seven research papers contained herein are the final, peer reviewed papers from the 2021 National Symposium on Human Rights Implications of Social, Political, Economic and Legal Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic, held at Cresta Lodge, Harare, Zimbabwe, on 7 and 8 October 2021, under the Zimbabwe Human Rights Capacity Development Programme (hereinafter ‘Zimbabwe Programme’).

The overall objective of the Zimbabwe Programme is: to contribute to enhanced enjoyment of constitutional rights in Zimbabwe, through legislation, policies, practices and decision-making being increasingly informed by international human rights standards and principles. Its main implementing partners at the time of writing are: Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (hereinafter ‘RWI’) at Lund University, Sweden; Centre for Applied Legal Research (hereinafter ‘CALR’) in Harare, Zimbabwe; College of Business, Peace, Leadership and Governance at Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe; Faculty of Law at Midlands State University in Gweru, Zimbabwe; Herbert Chitepo School of Law at Great Zimbabwe Univerisity in Masvingo, Zimbabwe; Faculty of Law at University of Zimbabwe in Harare, Zimbababwe; Faculty of Law at Ezekiel Guti University in Bindura, Zimbabwe; Council for Legal Education in Zimbabwe; Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission; Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services; and Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission. The Zimbabwe Progamme is supported by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida).

The national symposium is an annual event under the Zimbabwe Programme. It is co-organised by RWI together with the academic partner institutions and CALR, and is a forum where research funded and conducted during the year is packaged and presented before an audience representing diverse sectors of Zimbabwean society, thereby allowing the presenters and participants to in plenary engage in vibrant discussions around the topics at hand and together deliberate on the way forward with regard to critical human rights reform issues. The feedback and experiences shared during the national symposium also aid and feed into the preparation of final papers for publication and dissemination.

With that said, RWI would like to conclude by thanking the researchers for their hard work and determination, which resulted in these final papers that make up this collection. RWI would also like to thank the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) for supporting the research, and thereby ensuring it saw the light of day. Finally, it is RWI’s sincere wish that you, the reader, find these papers thought-provoking and informative as well as an eventual source of inspiration and guidance in your own potential efforts towards furthering the provisions contained in the 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe and its comprehensive Declaration of Rights.

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