About UNDP in Zambia

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was established in 1965, when two United Nations agencies – the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance set up in 1949 and the Special Fund set up in 1958 – were merged by decision of the General Assembly. By 1983, UNDP projects were being implemented in 170 countries covering nearly the entire economic and social spectrum – from industry to health, education, economic planning and public administration.

UNDP has been collaborating with other UN agencies to support feasibility studies of important projects. Working together with UN agencies such as ICAO, UNIDO, UNV, UNESCO and development partners, UNDP was involved in the development of the Lusaka International Airport, the Zambia Stock Exchange, the Securities Commission, the development of local manufacturing capacity to produce intravenous fluids for hospitals, and the establishment of the Paramedical Training Centre.

In recent years the UNDP has continued to support the Government of the Republic of Zambia in addressing national challenges in the areas of Democratic & Economic Governance, Environment, Gender, and HIV / AIDS.  In partnership with the Government, the UN family, civil society organisations and communities and Cooperating Partners (CPs) the UNDP continues to fulfill its mission in Zambia, namely to build national capacity, to help Zambia achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, and assist Zambia to become a middle-income country by the year 2030. For instance, through these different partnerships, UNDP has supported the capacity development of the Electoral Commission of Zambia, supported the Constitutional Review Commission, the National Constitutional Conference, and the development of a National Gender Policy and Action Plan.

UNDP is also working with local communities of Lake Tanganyika, Mpulungu and Kapula districts to promote sustainable agriculture and forestry and tackle issues of over-fishing and sediment flows in the Lake Tanganyika Integrated Management Programme. The UNDP has always been part of the response to the HIV / AIDS epidemic in Zambia, from the mid 1980s. Now, together with the Joint UN Team on AIDS the UNDP is working to provide capacity development and technical assistance to respond to the epidemic to strengthen local institutions.  The UNDP’s programme in the Governance -sector ‘Capacity Development for Human Rights’ focuses on providing the Zambian Human Rights Commission technical and financial assistance to raise awareness about Human Rights to Zambians through community radio programmes and Human Rights mainstreaming into business management. UNDP contributes to the promotion of gender equality, women’s economic empowerment and ending gender based violence in Zambia. UNDP is also working closely with the Government to mitigate the negative effects of climate change to develop a national strategy to respond to climate change in Zambia.