United Nations Supports Sustainable Development Efforts in Zambia

The United Nations in Zambia has called for wider stakeholder involvement in ensuring sustainable development and attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Zambia. Speaking at a Joint SDG Fund event in Lusaka on 22 February, UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Beatrice Mutali said that all stakeholders should work towards economic transformation for the benefit of the people of Zambia. 

Over 150 participants that included representatives of diplomatic missions, Government ministries, private Sector, think tanks, Civil Society and youth attended the event that showcased key results achieved through the Zambia Integrated National Financing Framework for SDGs joint programme, which the UN has implemented since June 2020 to support sustainable development in Zambia.  

Ms Mutali said this in a speech read on her behalf by International Labour Organization (ILO) Director for Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, Mr. George Okutho. 

“We cannot continue with business as usual in our planning and implementation processes anymore but enhance efficiency and effectiveness of our interventions in addressing challenges to achieve the desired impact to drive the much-needed transformation to improve the lives of the people of Zambia,” Ms Mutali said.

Speaking at the same event, Minister of Finance and National Planning Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane appealed for innovative approaches for development financing to ensure progress on the SDGs. In a speech read on his behalf by Permanent Secretary for Planning and Administration, Ms Lois Mulube, Dr Musokotwane said that the Government had put in place several interventions in various sectors to support attainment of the SDGs in Zambia. He also paid tribute to the United Nations for supporting the Government’s development aspirations, as outlined in Zambia’s Vision 2030.

“We appreciate the support rendered to the Government by the UN Family through the Fund in supporting budget and expenditure analysis including facilitating stakeholder engagement; a study on implementation of the decentralization policy with a focus on fiscal decentralization; development of sector financing plans including the costing of key programmes; public expenditure reviews of the social protection sector whose findings fed into the development of the sector financing strategies in social protection; and undertaking the 2022 Census of Population and Housing,” Dr Musokotwane said.

 

To promote alternative financing for sustainable development in the country, the UN in Zambia has through five of its agencies (UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA, ILO and UNECA) supported capacity development of the Government of the Republic of Zambia in planning processes and overcoming existing impediments to financing its national development priorities, including the SDGs. 

This programme was intended to provide catalytic support to the Government in advancing SDG implementation in the country. Amongst other things, the Fund contributed to the following: 

•    Migration of local authorities towards output-based budgeting (OBB) in all 116 districts; 

•    Construction of infrastructure such as roads, bridges and toilets through local authorities; 

•    Undertaking of the 2022 Census of Population and Housing, and the Living Conditions Monitoring Survey; preparation of the Economic Recovery Plan; 

•    COVID-19 Recovery Needs Assessment (CRNA) and other socio-economic assessments of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic; 

•    Preparation of the Eight National Development Plan; and

•    Preparation of the Voluntary National Review (VNR) in 2020 and 2023.

Other interventions included supporting the Rapid Integrated Assessment (RIA) of the Eighth National Development Plan, preparation of the Development Finance Assessment, National Budget Analyses as well as strengthening the capacity of Parliamentarians and Permanent secretaries in budget analysis.