PRESIDENT LUNGU STATEMENT AT UN INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE ONE

Mr. President,

It is my honour to deliver this intervention on ending poverty and hunger. I wish to stress that poverty eradication is the overarching goal that we believe all should pursue with unprecedented effort in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development in order to restore human dignity for our nations. The implementation of the sustainable development goals 1 and 2 requires particular support of national development plans, especially for the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries that face a huge challenge and specific vulnerabilities.

Zambia like many other countries has prioritised the need to end poverty in all its forms and dimensions and we are determined to end hunger and achieve food security at household level and minimize all forms of malnutrition as a nation, we are alive to the fact that there can be no meaningful development if our citizens remain in abject poverty and hunger.

It is against this background, that we are committed to the implementation of various social protection programmes such as the social cash transfers scheme, women and youth empowerment programmes, the food security pack as well as the farmer input support programmes. These are aimed at ensuring that vulnerable citizens are protected from extreme risks and shocks, food insecurity at household level, malnutrition and promotion of crop diversification in the agriculture sector.

It is worth noting that these social protection interventions targets the vulnerable households such as female and child headed households as well as persons living with disabilities.

In view of the above, social protection is a powerful tool that can be used to reduce poverty and hunger, improve food security at household level and reduce malnutrition.

It also empowers households and contributes significantly to human capital formation and human development. Small scale cash transfers to poor rural households alleviate poverty and stimulate economic activities in rural economies.

Such programmes with improved targeting efficiencies have the potential to reduce the inequality gap. There is need for more investment in these programmes with improved accountability and transparency.

It is the intention of government to develop and implement an integrated management information system and a single registry of beneficiaries for social protection programmes. Therefore the improved support and partnerships towards implement of social protection programmes is critical.

Mr. President,

In conclusion, poverty can only be eliminated if we deliberately address the challenges of realizing broad-based pro-poor growth, improve quality human capital, generate full and productive employment and decent work for all, particularly for the youths and women. This is achievable if we together implement and support policies designed to realize improved welfare of our citizens. In addition major focus of the new 2030 agenda for sustainable development should endeavor to reduce the inequalities between our nations. This will ensure that development impacts positively on every one and everywhere.

Thank you.

Issued By.

Chibaula D., Silwamba (Mr.)
First Secretary for Press and Public Relations,
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Zambia to the United Nations,