Partnership Framework Annual Results Report - 2021

Aiming at building a stronger and democratic Zambia where all people enjoy their human rights, the UNCT endeavoured to ensure sustainability and invested considerable efforts in developing national capacities to lead reforms, implement new laws and strategies, and make use of new models, practices, methodologies, and tools.

The UN supported the Government to access the COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX facility and scaling up their deployment around the country. There were enough vaccine stocks in comparison to uptake. The Government through the Ministry of Health was supported to conduct an assessment on community perception towards the COVID-19 vaccine, to generate information to design appropriate risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) messages. Over six million people across all 10 provinces of Zambia were reached with key prevention and vaccine messages and deaf people and youth received key COVID-19 prevention information through short videos that also helped counter misinformation around the pandemic.

By the end of 2021, more people were willing to be vaccinated. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Zambia went to the general elections and the UN followed the elections closely and was committed to working with the Government to provide both technical and financial support to various institutions of democracy through its Democracy Strengthening Zambia (DSZ) Project. With financial support from Cooperating Partners and the UN, the iVerify Zambia Initiative was set up to strengthen national capacity to identify and document cases of disinformation, misinformation and hate speech and as a fact checking and response mechanism during elections.