Zambia’s progress towards meeting the goals of the 2030 Agenda has been negatively impacted by the coming of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Hakainde Hichilema has told the United Nations (UN).
President Hichilema says the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded the pre-existing vulnerabilities and inequalities in all the spheres of Zambia’s economy, including agriculture production, trade and supply chains.
The Head of State said the health care and education systems in Zambia like many other developing countries whose ICT was inadequate had been disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Hichilema said this when he virtually addressed the76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA76) during the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Moment Summit.
The SDG Moment is a check-in on the status of the Sustainable Development Goals at the beginning of the Decade of Action in light of the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The President said there is urgent need to enhance Africa’s capacity for innovation and development in ICT infrastructure to enable developing countries, including Zambia to realise and enjoy the benefits arising from the ‘industry 4.0’.
“Since the adoption of the SDGs in 2016, Zambia made its first Voluntary National Review in 2019 and presented milestones. However, progress towards meeting the goals of the 2030 Agenda has not been without challenges. The coming of the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded the pre-existing vulnerabilities and inequalities in all spheres of the economy. The pandemic has disrupted agriculture production, trade and supply chains,” President Hichilema said.
The President reiterated Zambia’s commitment to accelerating the implementation of interventions towards the attainment of the SDGs while at the same time recognizing the need to enhance existing coordination, improve target mechanisms and efficient allocation of resources to deliver desired results.
He said it was important countries leveraged their resources as a global community in order to advance progress for the achievement of the SDGs.
President Hichilema said nations were living in a changing dynamic environment in which interdependency and collaboration were key in finding solutions to emerging challenges such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, terrorism, widening technological divide and illegal migration.
Approximately 30 to 35 Heads of State and Government that recently conducted voluntary national reviews including Zambia have been invited to make a direct contribution to the SDG Moment Summit.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a blueprint for fighting poverty and hunger, confronting the climate crisis, achieving gender equality and much more, within the next ten years. At a time of great uncertainty, the SDGs show the way forward to a strong recovery from COVID-19 and a better future for all on a safe and healthy planet.
So he knows it was not all about the failure to govern but the pandemic also negatively affected Zambia just like other nations???. Good impression have positive effects. Well done Mr President the way to go. We can only work on policies not people. We don’t need more prisons but more schools. No matter how tough the punishment it does not deter one from stealing but good systems do
Everybody knows the Covid pandemic affected economic activities negatively. But we know some leaders who took advantage of it and saw it as an opportunity to make themselves wealthy. Shame of such leaders, they are the reason Africa is not progressing.
Well done HH this sounds more like a president than the opposition. You need to focus on the Nation not individuals or groups of individuals. National issues are the core business of a political party in Govt. We need to move from opposition mind set to Governing issues.
Exactly what ECL said in the same previous assembly
Mature Statesmanship, the way to go. Back home you and us will still have to deal with Looters and Plunders of our resources. That was an international platform and that is what you were expected to say.
This man sounds like a real President. Knowledgeable and prepared. Baja benango ati “not much, not much.”
If our youth had jobs, the election would probably have been different, and the same lack of employment among our youth will determine the next election Covid19 or no Covid19.
In case the PF say we gismmised lungu when he blamed covid , ………..
It was different in lungus case , because all economic indicators were in decline well before covid………
Is it not a breath of fresh air to have a president who can debate and hold his own on the international stage ……..?
Who can answer any questions from world journalists ???
That’s how low the bar of presidential standards was set…………even mere press conferences seem like an archivment…….
Kkkkkkk…blind followers.
Is this not the same guy who criticised ECL on COVID 19 effects and called it an act of cowardice for not wanting to allow others campaign?
What an hypocrite!.
Come back and create jobs for the youths. You are even wasting time.
At least we have a President to be PROUD of not that Chawama playboy who appointed his drink mates as advisers
Look at them calling people who expect more from a president as
“blind followers…..”
That’s the problem when you are too used of failure and mediocre leadership …….
Nothing normal seems real……..
Look at them calling people who expect more from a president as
“blind followers…..”
That’s the problem when you are too used of fail.ure and med.iocre leadership …….
Nothing normal seems real……..
Look at them calling people who expect more from a president as
“blind followers…..”
That’s the problem when you are too used of antics of a drunkard as president …..
Nothing normal seems real……..
You should have also highlighted how the fallen regime and its visionless leader contributed by turning covid19 funds which should have helped us make small gains in this difficult moment’ into empowerment and campaign funds
Even way before Covid came around we had Zambia’s SDG benchmarks seriously affected in the era of PF’s downward economic indicators.
This a President Zambians can be proud of. Not that imposter, clueless drunk , Chawama boy we the Zambian people kicked out last month. That guy should not even be allowed to go back to Chawama. He belongs in Chimbokaila.
Bally was in denial over Covid-19. Now that he is President, it has become real. When it was cited by the previous regime as having compounded the country’s economic problems, in addition to the global economic downturn of 2016 and thereafter and the drought of 2018/2019, the UPND naysayers now turned Bally praise singers, soothsayers and sycophants dismissed this for a lame excuse for the country’s flagging economic fortunes. Now that their small god is in state house and they do not see any economic turnaround on the horizon, they are quick to cry out loud that their beloved Bally be given time to fulfill his fantastic promises of free education, reduced farming inputs and the maize staple, among other fibs, doled out to many unsuspecting Zambians. Yet, one would think their economic…
Yet, one would think their economic seer in Bally would have taken this into account when making those fake promises to Zambians. But Bally did not seem to care about this , just as his followers lacking in the power of discernment who simply fell for all Bally lies hook, line and sinker.
What was the purpose of HH going to American if he is addressing the UN on virtue platform. He could have attended this UN conference virtually without travelling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is, he can address the UN virtually at his Kasame house or Kwazi house………….. We could have served the money for that air ticket and
money spent on hotel where he is residing………………… WAKE UP ZAMBIANS!!!!
Am I the only.one reading he was addressing a virtual meeting, was this before or after going to US. Then what was purpose for going if most meeting are going to be virtual. Just a laymen question.
They travelled not just for the UN meeting but for one on one meetings with the business community including meeting the Zambians in diaspora. I think that is a good move for our country.
Be proud that we have a president who can travel with only 2 ministers. Most of the African leaders use that as an opportunity to take all their families for shopping using public funds. No accountability at all and they can’t even express themselves on the world platform. Please let’s give credits where it’s due.