Talking Points for UN Zambia Resident Coordinator Dr. Coumba Mar Gadio At Virtual ZAMSTATS meeting -15 June

It is an honour for me to co-chair this very important meeting where the Zambia Statistics Agency (ZamStats) in collaboration with the Ministry of National Development Planning (MNDP) will present the draft report of the phase I of the Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 on Households. Allow me to start by commending the two institutions for taking the lead in preparation of such a quality report which is timely as the country faces huge challenges due to the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on the economy and the population in general.

We cannot talk about development without having the right data. Accurate and disaggregated data is essential for an informed decision-making. The Government’s commitment to such an important exercise is commendable. As the UN family in Zambia, we are happy to have been able to provide support to such an important exercise. The results of this survey are critical in the implementation of its interventions, and mostly within its support towards the achievement of the Agenda 2030.

The support on ensuring the availability of data is also in line with UN Zambia objectives as outlined in its current Partnership Framework. The support provided by UN Zambia through this survey testifies of the added value of the Delivering as One principles. Here, I would like to particularly thank and mention all UN agencies that provided technical and financial support in this process, ILO, IOM, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank.

I am convinced that the findings from this report will be instrumental in identifying some of the challenges faced by the Zambian population and will allow us to reflect together on the appropriate solutions. Furthermore, the findings will be key in identifying and addressing data gaps in the Evaluation of the 7NDP as well as in feeding into preparations of the upcoming 8th National Development Plan. Through this report, the government will certainly be able to develop evidence-based policies and interventions on socio-economic growth, to build back better from the COVID-19 pandemic and pursue its commitment to sustainable development.

Co-Chair, ladies and gentlemen

It is important to note that the main objective of the survey was to assess the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on household welfare and to provide data for rebasing the GDP. The survey also allowed for an assessment of the COVID-19 related Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of households to understand compliance levels on COVID-19 preventive measures. This type of information will allow us to use behavioural science in an effective manner if we are to win the fight against COVID-19 in Zambia.

Other objectives of the survey were to assess the socio-economic effects of COVID-19 on household welfare; estimate the potential impact of COVID-19 on Households’ wellbeing on selected indicators; assess the effects of COVID-19 on access to selected health services; collect data on the Consumption Expenditure in households for GDP rebasing; and Collect baseline Household welfare data for the SWIFT mode.

We are glad that we are now in the finalization process of the Phase I of the survey. However, as you all know, this is just one step as we still need to undertake the phase II and then the Enterprise Survey for the completion of the GDP rebasing. Therefore, let us join our efforts to mobilize resources as we cannot achieve the objectives of this survey without implementing these other steps.

In closing, let me once again, thank you all for your time and wish you fruitful deliberations.