At the outset, I wish to congratulate
His Excellency Mr. John. Ashe on his election as
President of the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth
session. I am confident that his wisdom and skill will be
brought to bear as he steers the Assembly through a year
of progressive dialogue and challenging negotiations.
The theme of this year’s session, “The post-2015
development agenda: setting the stage”, is timely, as it
presents an opportunity for us to discuss the future of
global development. To that end, I wish to assure the
President of our delegation’s support as he discharges
the function of President at this session.
The African continent has this year also reached a
significant milestone. In May, together with the rest of
the continent, we celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of
the founding of the Organization of African Unity, the
forerunner to the African Union. The African Union
is a symbol of the collective hopes and aspirations
of our resilient continent. As expected, that occasion
formed the basis for mutual reflection on the future
direction of a young and versatile Africa. Furthermore,
next year, our country will commemorate 50 years of
its independence. We approach that milestone proud
that Zambia continues to enjoy political stability and
has embraced democratic principles that have formed
the basis for social and economic transformation for
improving the lives of the Zambian people.
Our country is also honoured to have played a
significant role in peacebuilding initiatives within
the subregion and the continent at large and continues
to participate in them. Zambia will therefore remain
committed to the ideals for which she has stood and
is prepared to contribute to global efforts aimed at
uplifting humanity.
To address the aspirations of our peoples, in
particular those of the most vulnerable nations, we
as a global community meeting in this Assembly
set ourselves the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) — eight clear targets that resonate with our
populations’ aspirations. In less than two years, we
will have reached the deadline for the attainment of the
MDGs, and Governments will have an opportunity to
take stock of the achievements made in efforts to attain
the development targets set at the turn of the century.
We are all champions of the MDGs. We have run
the race, and we continue to run the race, albeit at
different paces and on different terrains. What remains
critical, therefore, is what we do between now and the
deadline, as well as how we will move beyond 2015.
Amid much anxiety, the 2013 progress report for
my country was released in May. On a positive note,
the report indicated the tremendous progress made
by Zambia on MDGs 4 and 5, regarding reducing the
under-five mortality rate by two thirds and the maternal
mortality ratio by three quarters by 2015. I emphasize
here that maternal mortality is rooted in gender
inequality, which manifests itself as poor education for
girls, early marriage, adolescent pregnancies and lack
of access to sexual and reproductive health care. The
results therefore tell us that with more effort, gender
inequality can be redressed.
Zambia’s MDG report further indicates that we
have made great strides in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
The challenges are still immense, and we have to ensure
that those living with HIV and AIDS are receiving the
best care and access to social protection services. All
efforts must be made to reach zero infection and zero
deaths by building on what has been achieved so far.
International support is equally critical for a sustained
and enhanced response.
The Zambian economy is presently enjoying
macroeconomic stability and has experienced
appreciable economic growth over the recent past.
However, our Government still has the huge task of
ensuring that the basic needs of Zambians are met, as
poverty levels and unemployment remain a challenge. It
is not surprising, therefore, that we have made marginal
progress in reducing the prevalence of hunger. In order
to accelerate Zambia’s efforts to achieve MDG 1, our
Government has taken an unprecedented and painful
step in curtailing subsidies on fuel and maize. That
has enabled us to release much-needed resources for
programmes that are deliberately targeted at poverty
alleviation. We have also transformed and repositioned
social protection services to optimize efficiency.
The International Monetary Fund and the World
Bank estimate that economic growth in sub-Saharan
Africa can be expected to be higher than the global
average — around 5.5 per cent in 2013 and 6.1 per
cent next year. However, in the absence of inclusive
social development and without food security, that
growth risks being undermined by social exclusion,
particularly for the youth. For instance, while our
Government recorded a growth in gross domestic
product of 7.3 per cent in 2012, we recognize the fact
that it is equally important to ensure that we put in
place specific measures that will promote equality and
social justice in the labour market. It is for this reason
that we are strongly advocating for investment that
creates real and sustainable employment prospects for
our people, while at the same time making our economy
more labour-absorbent.
In turning to the post-2015 agenda, our Government
believes that the importance of the intergovernmental
processes on sustainable development goals is critical
and cannot be overemphasized. I wish to reiterate
the need to have a single set of universally agreed
sustainable development goals reflecting sustainable
development priorities that are actionable and concise
and whose implementation will resonate with the
different development and economic levels of Member
States. Furthermore, the goals will need to be prudently
balanced and to effectively integrate the economic,
social and environmental aspects of sustainable
development. To that end, it is necessary to build global
partnerships that are supported by commitments to
regional and international cooperation, anchored with
mutual accountability, enhanced local private sectors
and public-private partnerships.
Our Government believes that addressing issues of
poverty is important for the achievement of sustainable
and inclusive development in the future we want for
Zambia. Our country attaches importance to improving
the welfare of our people, especially women, children
and young people, through wealth and employment
creation, the provision of quality education and of
quality health care, and industrialization, among other
things.
In particular, our Government wishes to emphasize
the need to mainstream children’s issues, including
access to quality education and quality health care
services, provided at the right time. Social protection
and upholding the rights of all children is critical and
should transcend the global desire for a better future. It
is therefore imperative that the post-2015 agenda take
into account the momentum that has been attained in the
realization of the MDGs in order to ensure continuity
and sustainability.
My address to the Assembly would be incomplete
if I did not underscore Zambia’s, and indeed Africa’s,
desire to realize a more democratic and representative
Security Council. As a continent, our voice could not
be clearer. We continue to call for greater progress in
those negotiations, whose conclusion is long overdue. I
wish to reiterate our position, as defined in the Ezulwini
Consensus. The United Nations boasts of an all-inclusive
multilateral process, but that is obviously lacking when
it comes to the Security Council. The effectiveness of
that organ should be enhanced by adapting it to the
prevailing global realities of international peace and
security and the legitimacy realized through an all-
inclusive process.
In conclusion, allow me to express Zambia’s
gratitude for the support received in the recent hosting
of two important United Nations conferences, namely,
the twentieth session of the General Assembly of the
World Tourism Organization and the fourth Meeting of
States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
I therefore take this opportunity, on behalf of my
Government and the Zambian people, to thank all those
who participated and contributed to the success of
those meetings. We look forward to the opportunity to
host again in the near future.