UN Zambia: from assistance to partnership
In 2016, the UN in Zambia launched the first Sustainable Development Partnership Framework (2016-2021), a strategic document to address some of the multi-dimensional development challenges faced by this emerging middle income country.
I was proud to be part of a process that led us to a UN strategy that fully embraces the spirit of Agenda 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the standard operating procedures for Delivering as One countries.
First, and foremost: analysis of why poverty persists
We started the planning process with an analysis to better understand the development dynamics of a country where over 50 per cent of its population is under 18, and 40 per cent live in extreme poverty while the country enjoys a high and stable economic growth. Zambia’s Gini Coefficient value of 0.65 was also a red flag.
Our country analysis focused on people and the exclusions and vulnerabilities that could be both cause and result of Zambia’s development paradox. In this exercise we looked at the causes of multiple inter-linked vulnerabilities. Take for example, how a poor indigenous Batwa woman, in absence of national registration card (citizenship), faces multi-layered vulnerabilities and is marginalised. Pervasive inequalities have contributed to a situation where Zambian women often make up a disproportionate share of the poor due to their limited access to and control over land, livestock, credit and technology. Legal hurdles can exacerbate this problem. A Batwa woman can neither access credit, nor purchase land or migrate safely for economic opportunities. This means that women are overrepresented in the informal sectors, where income is low and unreliable. All of these factors increase women’s vulnerabilities to poverty, poor health and discrimination. And this can mean that poverty in Zambia is transmitted across generations.
Our analysis showed that addressing vulnerabilities emanating from deep rooted discrimination, marginalization, exclusion and inequalities, should be the role of the UN system to support the people of Zambia fully enjoying their rights.
The complex inequality story becomes clear…now what?
Our country analysis was the first step in developing our new partnerships framework. Once the understanding of the UN role was clear, we needed to figure out:
What value could the UN system add to Zambia’s own efforts towards socio-economic transformation?
And more importantly, where would the UN contribution make the biggest difference in an equation in which official development assistance contributes to only 1 per cent of the national spending?
The UN as an integrator and innovator in Zambia
After brainstorming with partners, including the private sector, we found out that our partners value us as a thought leader, an integrator and an innovator. They highlighted the fact that the United Nations is adept at ensuring an integrated approach, working across sectors, and providing specialised advice in addressing multi-sectoral development challenges like those that solidify poverty among women. Our partners see the UN as an impartial broker, and value our ability to work in partnership with various stakeholders in Zambia. Given Zambia’s economy is based on the mining sector, teaming up with mining companies in Zambia presents opportunities to advance ‘business and human rights’.
This new approach to our work is captured in the first Sustainable Development Partnership Framework (2016-2021), which differs to the traditional UNDAF approach:
It is human rights based. It means that the UN’s response to Zambia’s development challenges and priorities has been articulated fully from a Human Rights perspective, putting people at the heart of development work to achieve the realization of their rights. It aims to promote participation and accountability by:
- enabling rights holders to demand and exercise their rights and
- building the capacity of duty bearers to understand and fulfill their obligations.
Investments over delivery. Departing from sectoral interventions (education, health, agriculture etc) based on sectoral Common Country Assessment, Zambia’s Partnership Framework uses a multi-sectoral approach to development, which we think is necessary to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs, and to address the root causes of poverty, inequalities, vulnerabilities and on building resilience. The emphasis is on partnerships and smart investments (rather than the UN delivery), as well as on increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the UN through a strengthened Delivering as One approach.
It has eight strategic outcomes that ensure alignment and development effectiveness by fully reflecting the high ambition of the Sustainable Development Goals and by responding to Zambia’s development priorities. These outcomes are focused on the need to ‘leave no one behind’ and to reach the large number of people in Zambia who are marginalized and vulnerable through poverty, discrimination, ignorance or prejudice. The partnership framework is being implemented through 11 multi-sectoral results groups, chaired by UN heads of agencies and their Government counterparts, encouraging close coordination with partners.
The partnership framework also establishes Zambia as an equal partner, driving national development priorities, as opposed to a country receiving assistance. Recognising Zambia as a country in the path to become a middle income nation, the framework encourages domestic financing to address issues of common interest. For example, the UN Country Team and the Zambia’s Vice President’s Office partnered to document issues one of the indigenous Batwa communities in the course of preparing a joint Country Analysis. The findings not only informed the development of the Partnership Framework, but also influenced the Government decision to provide national registration cards (citizenship) to Batwa communities. Partnership as such promotes national ownership, shared responsibilities and a joined-up approach.
The takeaways:
We’ve come a long way! UN agencies have developed a strong commitment to operationalizing UN System support under the Delivering as One approach. Over the past four years of my tenure in Zambia, I have noticed the UN Country Team coming together more systematically. Delivering as One structure is fully operational and Joint Work Plans of Results Groups are in place to ensure coherent UN support.
- Political commitment is key. Also important is to implement joined-up approach where it makes sense. The Programme Team has been ahead of Business Operations Team in this process, and challenges remain cascading from HQ level that stand in the way of greater harmonization. Different operational modalities of agencies create difficulties to harmonise policy on issues even on seemingly straighforward issues, like deploying an intern to work at the UN.
- A strong skill set of strategic policy, programming, communications, human rights and gender in the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office was essential in facilitating an inclusive process. And this coordination cornerstone requires multi-year, predictable funding to draw down on expertise across the UN System and from external organisations.
From planners to transformers
Our new strategic framework sees multi-stakeholder partnership as an essential ingredient to achieve sustainable development results that are people-centered.
The inter-agency team that led in the planning stage is now the UN in Zambia Strategic Transformation Team of Advisers. They are coordinated by the UN Resident Coordinator Office to ensure the on-going quality and endurance of the partnership concept through the life of the partnership framework. These advisers support the RC/UNCT, preparing regular analysis, identifying flagship issues for UN policy advocacy and advancing inter-agency policy dialogue.
As Mark Twain once said, “The secret to getting ahead is getting started”; we hope to make progress in the years to come, as with determination we started in 2016, our journey from development assistance to partnership for sustainable development!
