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21 March 2023
UN Joint SDG Fund: Transforming Local Authorities’ Budgeting
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21 March 2023
International Day of Forests and Launch of the AFR100 Initiative
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08 March 2023
Celebrating Musoli Julack Muchima Kashinga, National Project Coordinator, ILO Lusaka
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The Sustainable Development Goals in Zambia
The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. These are the goals the UN is working on in Zambia:
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25 September 2020
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02 October 2020
Decade of Action
Deliver #ForPeopleForPlanet. We have 10 years to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals. The year 2020 kicks off a reaffirmation of the 2030 Agenda. Demonstrate action through ambition, mobilization and game-changing outcomes for people and for the planet.
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28 October 2020
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21 March 2023
UN Joint SDG Fund: Transforming Local Authorities’ Budgeting
In efforts to improve accountability and transparency in the budgeting and planning process in local authorities, the United Nations (UN) through the UN Joint Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Fund has been supporting reforms to help local authorities migrate from Activity Based Budgeting (ABB) to the more accountable and transparent Output Based Budgeting (OBB). The OBB allows local authorities to align their budgeting processes and templates with the central government systems.
Speaking in an interview, Kitwe City Council, Director Finance, Dedu Sakala Mwense indicated that the council experienced some challenges in the transition from ABB to OBB. He, however, noted that unlike ABB, OBB was speaking to the needs of the council, and this resulted in the welcome of the change by both internal and external stakeholders.
“OBB has been our answer to the many budgeting challenges experienced in the past of lack of transparency and accountability. In the new system of OBB, the process is very inclusive of stakeholder participation right from the start, the target for the year is set and stakeholders submit what they would want to be achieved by the end of the financial year,” said Mr. Mwense.
“For example, stakeholders from the market facilities last year requested for toilets and shelters, and by the end of the year the council managed to construct 4×3 toilet blocks and shelters at Kitwe’s Chisokone Market. The successful completion of the toilets and market shelters provided an accountability and transparency test for the council in terms of expenditure, quality delivered and timeframe of service delivery”, he added.
Josephine Mbewe a salaula (second hand clothes) trader who is one of the many beneficiaries of the newly constructed toilets expressed gratitude, saying that after the construction of the toilets nearby, she no longer worries about leaving her stand for a long time and that the toilets had made conducting business easy because they are located within the market, one does not miss a lot of clients.
Furthermore, Lillian Chishinga a beneficiary of the market shelters explained how challenging it was in the past working from the streets especially in the rainy reason because this meant every time it started raining, she needed to pack her goods to avoid damage, resulting in capital loss, which now is a thing of the past because she was allocated a shelter.
The UN Joint SDG Fund has trained 104 local authorities out of the existing 116 which has enhanced their capacity in OBB, reaching 91% of the end of year target. Through this enhanced capacity, the local authorities started using OBB for their 2023 budget preparations. To improve local financing and support prudent budget decisions, the programme has supported local authorities with budget analysis, which will lead to the production of the first-ever local authorities budget briefs.
In Zambia, the UN Joint SDG Fund initiative is anchored in National Development Plans (NDPs), which are the government’s modalities to delivering national priorities, and at the same time implement the SDGs in the country. The programme is currently developing and operationalising the Integrated National Financing Framework for sustainable development in Zambia, that will improve development financing to ensure that the SDGs are actualized at national and subnational levels.
Additionally, the programme also intends to contribute to addressing Zambia’s development planning, and financing challenge: chiefly the data, monitoring and accountability. Herein, the programme intended to enhance capacity-building to significantly increase the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant to Zambia.
The Joint SDG Fund is an innovative instrument to incentivize the transformative policy shifts and stimulate the strategic investments required to get the world back on track to meet the SDGs. To date it has funded 200 joint programmes globally focused on integrated social protection or SDG finance, it has stimulated over 1,000+ partnerships working together alongside the UN to support the SDGs and it has tested over 300 innovative solutions to accelerate the 2030 Agenda. The Joint SDG Fund supports the development of financing strategies required for scaled up SDG investment. This work includes strengthening the capacities of the national and sub-national SDG financing architecture and the production of multi-stakeholder financing strategies with the aim of dramatically increasing the scale and improving the focus of SDG investments.
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Story
08 March 2023
Celebrating Mwiza Naluyele, ICT Assistant, UNFPA Zambia
“Working for the UN and being part of the “innovation and technological change for achieving gender equality and empowerment for all women and girls’’ allows me to freely apply my skills without being deemed incompetent because of my gender, I am able to combine both my technical and interpersonal skills. It also gives me the opportunity to be a guide for that young girl, who like me, challenged herself to pursue a career in IT.” – Mwiza Naluyele, ICT Assistant, UNFPA
Mwiza Naluyele joined UNFPA Zambia as ICT Assistant last May. She describes “Helping other people use technology to reach their own professional goal” as a very rewarding experience in UNFPA Zambia. She said “[she] can use [her] knowledge and skills to make other people’s tasks simpler and more fruitful, thanks to this interest. Personally, [she] feels IT support specialists are crucial team members for every firm because of their individual uniqueness and the talent they have to offer.”
She shares her message to young females aspring to take on the journey in ICT: “the sky is not the limit, chase your dreams , let no one deem your shine, believe that you are and will be the one percent of the one percent ,i.e. if we only have 5% of the women in the IT field globally, choose to be in that 5% because you are gifted, you are special and you are unique.”
Mwiza Naluyele joined UNFPA Zambia as ICT Assistant last May. She describes “Helping other people use technology to reach their own professional goal” as a very rewarding experience in UNFPA Zambia. She said “[she] can use [her] knowledge and skills to make other people’s tasks simpler and more fruitful, thanks to this interest. Personally, [she] feels IT support specialists are crucial team members for every firm because of their individual uniqueness and the talent they have to offer.”
She shares her message to young females aspring to take on the journey in ICT: “the sky is not the limit, chase your dreams , let no one deem your shine, believe that you are and will be the one percent of the one percent ,i.e. if we only have 5% of the women in the IT field globally, choose to be in that 5% because you are gifted, you are special and you are unique.”
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Story
08 March 2023
Celebrating Musoli Julack Muchima Kashinga, National Project Coordinator, ILO Lusaka
I have passion and this passion has led to commitment to the work that I do. Therefore, the key message to the adolescents is to have a dream to aspire to. To believe in themselves knowing that they can do anything as long as they have the passion for it. It is important to grab hold of every opportunity presented to them, have a mentor in life, embrace working in teams and to work hard! Finally a purposeful life is a balanced life .. have time to work, to reflect and recharge!” - is Musoli Julack Muchima Kashinga, National Project Coordinator
As National Project Coordinator, Musoli Kashinga shares that she “enjoys working in the UN in general and in the ILO in particular because [her] work entails that to be truly successful and impactful [she and her colleagues] must ensure that no one is left behind.” She said, “Our work demands that there must be transformation in the lives of those to who are targeted by our various interventions. The ILO’s mandate of advancing social justice and promoting decent work for all embraces inclusion and promotes diversity. Furthermore, innovation is key in responding to the challenges that the world and our country faces.”
Musoli is championing the advancement of transformative technology as her “current work involves developing and deploying skills training programmes so that technicians, engineers and managers are capacitated to apply, promote and manage renewable energy, energy efficiency and regional energy integration technologies thus contributing to a more sustainable low carbon energy mix.”
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Story
01 March 2023
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.
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.
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Story
01 March 2023
Kabwe Municipal Council: The success of Output-Based Budgeting
Kabwe district, in Zambia's Central Province is situated 140 kilometres from Lusaka, the country's capital. The district has a population of about 230,802 people.
Residents of Kabwe have access to various services, including policing, water and sanitation, construction infrastructure, roadways, and agricultural assistance services, like other established councils and municipalities in the nation.
The Joint Sustainable Development Goals Fund (SDG Fund), a global multi-donor and multi-agency development vehicle established in 2014 by the United Nations to support sustainable development activities has provided funding to 116 local authorities in Zambia, including Kabwe Municipal Council.
With the aid of the SDG Fund, local government officials and selected members of the community got training on how to develop output-based budgets to encourage more efficient resource management with quantifiable results. The joint fund in Zambia is implemented with support from five UN agencies, namely the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Councils and municipalities in the nation employed an Activity-Based Budgeting (ABB) approach to specifying their budgets for development activities as a monitoring and evaluation tool before the introduction of Output-Based Budgeting (OBB).
The directors of finance, planning, and the chief accountant from the Kabwe municipality, together with a few Makululu compound residents, took part in this training. Ward Development Committee (WDC) Treasurer from Makululu, Mulemba Mwaangala, values the new strategy for producing results in her neighbourhood.
"We suffered greatly in the past because we had to go great distances to get water, and the flooding brought on by the inadequate drainage system made it difficult to move around the neighbourhood," said Ms Mwaangala.
She has applauded the Kabwe City Council's initiative to enhance drainage and minimize floods in the neighbourhood. She is very happy that the area has had three boreholes drilled by the local authorities.
Ms Mwaangala was even happier when she learned that her sister had been given a scholarship from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) so that she could study auto mechanics at Kabwe Trades Training Institute.
Haggai Kasuba Mwila, another Makululu resident, commended the intervention on helping with putting in place infrastructure. "The council has constructed toilets, a wall fence and provided 200 desks at Shangila School."
Haggai, who also serves as Ward Development Committee (WDC) Trustee for Makululu, also expressed satisfaction with the way OBB has made it simple for WDCs to submit their budgets to the council.
Patrick Muba, the WDC Chair and a resident of Makululu echoed these sentiments. "We used to have WDC and zone meetings to talk about what activities need to be included in the budget before output-based budgeting was introduced. The councillor received the budget from us and took it to the council for inclusion "said Muba.
He was also happy to have participated in the integrated development plan process which made it easy for residents to keep track of every deliverable in the plan and monitor its progress from inception.
The Kabwe Municipal Council's administrators also value the new budget strategy since it produces outcomes their communities can see. It was difficult to translate outputs during the Activity Based Budgeting (ABB) phase because the council was more concerned with activities than with results, according to Director of Finance, Benjamin Kasongo.
"OBB prioritizes outcomes. It has streamlined the budgeting procedure, simplified budgeting as a tool, and made it simpler to understand and increasing its transparency. Everyone who requests details on budget spending can get the information, "said Mr Kasongo.
The creation of budgets, he continued, has become straightforward, enabling them to be completed on time, resulting in the alignment of the council's budget with the 8th National Development Plan's key objectives.
According to Moses Evans Silumbwa, interim Director of Planning for the Kabwe City Council, people can picture their intended outcomes using OBB.
"With OBB, there is a greater emphasis on what people want to accomplish and it is time-bound. According to Silumbwa, OBB's impact on drawing attention to the shortcomings in the ABB procedure has enhanced delivery.
OBB has helped local governments set goals and match finances with specific projects. This mode of budgeting also provides a critical opportunity to support planning and budgeting in line with the National Planning and Budgeting Act. The roll-out of OBB with the support from the Joint SDG Fund is a good example on alignment between the central and local budgeting processes. Further, communities, who make up the major stakeholders, participate budget preparation process.
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Press Release
28 February 2023
WHO Zambia releases USD285,000 to support Cholera Response in Eastern Province
Lusaka, 28 February 2023 – The World Health Organization (WHO) in Zambia has released USD285,000 to support the ongoing response to the cholera outbreak in Eastern Province. Since the outbreak was announced by the Minister of Health on January 26, 2023, a total of 191 suspected cases of cholera, including 4 deaths have been reported.
As part of the outbreak response, WHO Zambia is working with the Ministry of Health at National, Provincial and District levels, including the Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI) to rapidly put in in place interventions that will protect people and limit the spread of the outbreak to other districts across the province.
“Cholera outbreaks are of great concern to us, and especially that cholera is preventable, and Zambia has the right preventative tools in place. As WHO in Zambia we will continue to support the Ministry of Health in implementing immediate and long-term cholera control, response, and preventive measures. The funds released will help ensure that lives continue to be saved, and a resilient health system is maintained during and beyond the current outbreak," says Dr Nathan Bakyaita, WHO Representative in Zambia.
The funds released will allow WHO Zambia and partners to scale up priority response activities to effectively monitor and control the outbreak by:
scaling up WHO and national surveillance interventions,
providing essential support to laboratories to enhance diagnosis,
providing technical assistance to set up adequate cholera treatment centers,
training national and district health staff in case definition and management
pre-positioning cholera kits and supplies in high-risk areas
conducting health education sessions and risk communication and community engagement activities
“Eastern Province is uniquely positioned as some of the affected districts border Malawi and Mozambique, which too, have Cholera outbreaks, putting the whole province at high risk. For us to ensure we control and end the outbreak, we need to ensure that integrated critical tools of preparedness, response and prevention are in place. We need to enhance surveillance, care delivery and strengthen coordination and joint response at all levels,” added Dr Bakyaita.
Since the declaration of a cholera outbreak in January 2023, WHO has been working closely with the Ministry of Health to support deployment of surge staff and provide logistical support in the affected districts.
Note to editor:
WHO Zambia in December 2022, donated Cholera Central Reference kits; cholera peripheral kits; cholera community kits; 400 cholera laboratory kits; 500 cholera investigative kits amounting to ZMW 921,545 to support the preparedness and response in hotspot areas.
The WHO Zambia team is working with the Ministry of Health and partners to strengthen disease surveillance, provide technical assistance in all the pillars of outbreak response including case management, monitoring of water quality and chlorination of public water supplies, and promote health education and hygiene among affected and at-risk communities.
For additional information or to request interviews please contact:
Ms Kafusha Kapema
Communications Officer
WHO Zambia
Email: KapemaK@who.int
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Press Release
24 February 2023
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.
###
For more information, please contact:
Mark Maseko, National Information Officer, United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), Lusaka, P: +260-211-386200; E: masekom@un.org
About the Joint SDG Fund
The Sustainable Development Goals Fund (SDG Fund) is an international multi-donor and multi-agency development mechanism created in 2014 by the United Nations to support sustainable development activities through integrated and multidimensional joint programmes. The joint fund is managed in Zambia through UNDP, UNFPA, ILO, ECA and UNICEF.
The UN SDG Fund Joint Programme is expected to develop and operationalise an Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF) for sustainable development in Zambia, that will improve development financing to ensure that Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ensure they are actualized at national and subnational levels in the framework of the Seventh National Development Plan and the plans that follow. Integrated National Financing Frameworks provide a framework for financing national sustainable development priorities and the SDGs at the country level.
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Press Release
07 February 2023
Zambia Police receives funding from the Elsie Initiative Fund to increase women’s participation in United Nations peace operations
The Elsie Initiative Fund for Uniformed Women in Peace Operations (EIF) announced today that the Zambia Police Service (ZPS) will receive funding of USD 932,072 to create a more enabling institutional environment to increase uniformed women’s participation in United Nations (UN) peace operations.
Zambia, one of the top 25 highest contributors of uniformed personnel to UN peacekeeping, was amongst the seven countries that piloted an assessment study in 2020 to identify barriers to women’s participation in UN peace operations, using the Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peace Operations (MOWIP) methodology developed by the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance.
Built on findings and recommendations from the 2020 MOWIP study, the ZPS project is designed to address several barriers identified at the strategic and policy levels. The project will address the lack of suitable peace operations accommodation infrastructure for women police officers; additionally, it will aim to strengthen the capacity of women police officers through a number of activities designed to address the lack of available information on deployments, household constraints, and socio-cultural barriers that continue to deter women’s meaningful participation.
Specifically, the ZPS project involves the construction of an accommodation facility for women (40 beds) and a daycare center (15 places) to enable women to fully participate in peacekeeping training. In addition, the ZPS project has been designed to foster a more gender-sensitive institutional culture through the development of an Anti-Sexual Harassment, Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) policy and the roll out of SEA training and gender-mainstreaming workshops to senior Zambia Police personnel. Importantly, the ZPS will also train and expand its network of regional focal points to systematically disseminate deployment related information, particularly in rural and remote areas. Upon completion of the project, the ZPS aims to create a roster with over 100 women eligible to deploy as peacekeepers.
Over the years, Zambia has made great strides in promoting the rights of women and ensuring their equal participation in peace and security. In 2014, Zambia adopted a revised National Gender Policy and enacted a Gender Equality Act in 2015. Under a bilateral partnership with Canada, Zambia is currently developing a ZPS Gender Policy in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
“My Command appreciates the recognition of female officers as a ‘catalyst of systematic change within the Zambia Police Service. As Command, therefore, we take very seriously our role in driving policy reforms, ensuring gender mainstreaming and accountability for gender equality and women’s empowerment within our institution. I wish to assure you all of our continued commitment to do so” said the Inspector General of Police Lemmy Kajoba.
In close partnership with the ZPS, this project will be managed and implemented by UNDP in Zambia. Senior ZPS and UNDP representatives will co-chair the Project Oversight Committee and provide strategic guidance to ensure successful implementation. This project will also leverage existing ZPS Women’s and Men’s Networks and ensure their voices are represented throughout the project cycle.
Committed to ensuring the sustainability of these project outcomes, the ZPS has also committed to ensure that gender-related training is institutionalized within the police training curriculum, and to continue to fund, train and prepare police officers, in particular women, for deployment to UN peace operations.
*** About the Elsie Initiative Fund (EIF) Established by the UN, Canada, and Member States in 2019, the EIF is an innovative, multilateral fund that aims to accelerate progress towards the UN's gender targets in line with Security Council resolutions and the UN Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy 2018-2028. The EIF, a UN trust fund hosted by UN Women, is funded by contributions from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom.
The EIF supports the sustainable deployment and meaningful participation of uniformed women peacekeepers by providing financial assistance and incentives. For more information, please visit https://elsiefund.org/ and follow @ElsieFund on Twitter.
Media Contact:
Elsie Initiative Fund
Shuyu Luo
Email: shuyu.luo@unwomen.org
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Press Release
25 January 2023
Zambia’s human rights record to be examined by Universal Periodic Review
Zambia is one of the States to be reviewed by the UPR Working Group during its upcoming session from 23 January to 3 February. Zambia’s first, second and third UPR reviews took place in May 2008, October 2012 and November 2017, respectively.
The documents on which the reviews are based re: 1) national report - information provided by the State under review; 2) information contained in the reports of independent human rights experts and groups, known as the Special Procedures, human rights treaty bodies, and other UN entities; 3) information provided by other stakeholders including national human rights institutions, regional organizations, and civil society groups.
The three reports serving as the basis for the review of Zambia on 30 January can be found here.
Location: Room 20, Palais des Nations, Geneva
Time and date: 14:30–18:00, Monday, 30 January 2023 (Geneva time, GMT +1 hour)
The UPR is a unique process which involves a periodic review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States. Since its first meeting was held in April 2008, all 193 UN member States have been reviewed thrice within the first, second and third UPR cycles. During the fourth UPR cycle, States are again expected to spell out steps they have taken to implement recommendations posed during their previous review,s which they committed to follow up on, and highlight recent human rights developments in the country.
The delegation of Zambia will be led by the Honourable Mr. Mulambo Haimbe, SC, MP, Minister of Justice.
The three country representatives serving as rapporteurs (“troika”) for the review of Zambia are Sudan, the United States of America and Montenegro.
The webcast of the session will be at https://media.un.org/en/search/categories/meetings-events/human-rights-council
The list of speakers and all available statements to be delivered during the review of Zambia will be posted on the UPR Extranet.
The UPR Working Group is scheduled to adopt the recommendations made to Zambia at 16:30 on 3 February. The State under review may wish to express its positions on recommendations posed to it during its review.
For more information and media requests, please contact Rolando Gómez, HRC Media Officer, at rolando.gomez@un.org, Matthew Brown, HRC Public Information Officer, at matthew.brown@un.org, or Pascal Sim, HRC Public Information Officer, at simp@un.org.
To learn more about the Universal Periodic Review, visit https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/upr/upr-main.
UN Human Rights Council, follow us on social media:
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Press Release
29 November 2022
Inequalities are blocking the end of the AIDS pandemic, say UN
UNAIDS set out earlier this year that the AIDS response is in danger—with rising new infections and continuing deaths in many parts of the world. Now, a new report from UNAIDS shows that inequalities are the underlying reason why. It shows how world leaders can tackle those inequalities, and calls on them to be courageous to follow what the evidence reveals.
Dangerous Inequalities unpacks the impact on the AIDS response of gender inequalities, of inequalities faced by key populations, and of inequalities between children and adults. It sets out how worsening financial constraints are making it more difficult to address those inequalities.
The report shows how gender inequalities and harmful gender norms are holding back the end of the AIDS pandemic.
“The world will not be able defeat AIDS while reinforcing patriarchy,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima. “We need to address the intersecting inequalities women face. In areas of high HIV burden, women subjected to intimate partner violence face up to a 50% higher chance of acquiring HIV. Across 33 countries from 2015-2021 only 41% of married women aged 15-24 could make their own decisions on sexual health. The only effective route map to ending AIDS, achieving the sustainable development goals and ensuring health, rights and shared prosperity, is a feminist route map. Women’s rights organizations and movements are already on the frontlines doing this bold work. Leaders need to support them and learn from them.”
The effects of gender inequalities on women’s HIV risks are especially pronounced in sub- Saharan Africa, where women accounted for 63% of new HIV infections in 2021.
Adolescent girls and young women (aged 15 to 24 years) are three times more likely to acquire HIV than adolescent boys and young men of the same age group in sub-Saharan Africa. The driving factor is power. One study showed that enabling girls to stay in school until they complete secondary education reduces their vulnerability to HIV infection by up to 50%. When this is reinforced with a package of empowerment support, girls’ risks are reduced even further. Leaders need to ensure all girls are in school, are protected from violence which is often normalized including through underage marriages, and have economic pathways that guarantee them a hopeful future.
By interrupting the power dynamics, policies can reduce girls’ vulnerability to HIV.
Harmful masculinities are discouraging men from seeking care. While 80% of women living with HIV were accessing treatment in 2021, only 70% of men were on treatment. Increasing gender- transformative programming in many parts of the world is key to halting the pandemic. Advancing gender equality will benefit everyone.
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The report shows that the AIDS response is being held back by inequalities in access to treatment between adults and children. While over three quarters of adults living with HIV are on antiretroviral therapy, just over half of children living with HIV are on the lifesaving medicine. This has had deadly consequences. In 2021, children accounted for only 4% of all people living with HIV but 15% of all AIDS-related deaths. Closing the treatment gap for children will save lives.
Discrimination against, stigmatization and criminalization of key populations are costing lives and preventing the world from achieving agreed AIDS targets.
New analysis shows no significant decline in new infections among gay men and other men who have sex with men in both the western and central Africa and eastern and southern Africa regions. Facing an infectious virus, failure to make progress on key populations undermines the entire AIDS response and helps explain slowing progress.
Around the world, over 68 countries still criminalize same sex sexual relations. Another analysis highlighted in the report found that gay men and other men who have sex with men who live in African countries with the most repressive laws are more than three times less likely to know their HIV status than their counterparts living in countries with the least repressive laws, where progress as far more rapid. Sex workers who live in countries where sex work is criminalized have a 7 times greater chance to be living with HIV than in countries where sex work is legal or partially legalized.
The report shows progress against inequalities is possible and highlights areas where the AIDS response has made remarkable progress. For example, while surveys among key populations often highlight lower service coverage among key populations, three counties in Kenya have achieved higher HIV treatment coverage among female sex workers than among the general population of women (aged 15-49 years). This has been helped by strong HIV programming over many years, including community-led services.
“We know what to do to end inequalities,” said Ms Byanyima. “Ensure that all of our girls are in school, safe and strong. Tackle gender based violence. Support women’s organisations. Promote healthy masculinities—to take the place of the harmful behaviours which exacerbate risks for everyone. Ensure services for children living with HIV reach them and meet their needs, closing the treatment gap so that we end AIDS in children for good. Decriminalize people in same-sex relationships, sex workers, and people who use drugs, and invest in community-led services that enable their inclusion — this will help break down barriers to services and care for millions of people.”
The new report shows donor funding is helping catalyse increased domestic funding: increases in external HIV funding for countries from PEPFAR and the Global Fund during 2018-2021 were correlated with increases in domestic funding from a majority of national governments. New investments to address HIV-related inequalities are urgently needed. At a moment when international solidarity and a surge of funding is most needed, too many high-income countries are cutting back aid for global health. In 2021, funding available for HIV programmes in low- and middle-income countries was US$ 8 billion short. Increasing donor support is vital to getting the AIDS response back on track.
Budgets need to prioritize the health and well-being of all people, especially vulnerable populations that are most affected by HIV-related inequalities. Fiscal space for health investments in low- and middle-income countries needs to be expanded, including through substantial debt cancellation and through progressive taxation. Ending AIDS is far less expensive than not ending AIDS.
In 2021, 650 000 people were lost to AIDS and 1.5 million people newly acquired HIV.
“What world leaders need to do is crystal clear,” said Ms Byanyima. “In one word: Equalize. Equalize access to rights, equalize access to services, equalize access to the best science and medicine. Equalizing will not only help the marginalised. It will help everyone.”
[ENDS]
Contact
UNAIDS | Sophie Barton Knott | tel. +41 79 514 6896 | bartonknotts@unaids.org
UNAIDS
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
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