The UN in Zambia played a key role in the Zambia Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZVAC) under the DMMU, providing financial and technical support for food security and drought impact assessments. This included SMART surveys, Rapid Qualitative Assessments, and capacity building for disaster risk management. With UN support, the DMMU conducted vulnerability and needs assessments that guided preparedness, response, and recovery during the 2024/2025 rainy season. The UN also supported the development of the National Multi-hazard Contingency Plan (NMCP), enabling clusters and the DMMU to deliver timely, coordinated responses to anticipated hazards, reducing the impact of floods on people, livelihoods, and the environment.

The 2023/2024 El Niño-induced drought, declared a national disaster in February 2024, affected over 9 million people across more than 70% of Zambia’s districts, causing severe crop losses, livestock deaths, and heightened rural vulnerability. By mid-2025, humanitarian aid and improved weather conditions helped stabilize food security, leading to Zambia’s removal from the global Hunger Hotspots list.

In support of Zambia’s drought response, the UN and partners launched a USD 197 million Flash Appeal to assist 3.3 million people from May 2024 to June 2025. By mid-2025, 39% of the appeal was funded, reaching 2.8 million people with food, agriculture, nutrition, protection, and safe water. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) strengthened system-wide coordination, facilitating Humanitarian Country Team meetings, inter-sector planning, and response monitoring. OCHA also enabled financial tracking and helped secure CERF Underfunded Emergencies funding, ensuring priority needs were addressed in alignment with national efforts

The CERF Underfunded Emergencies (UFE) window provided rapid, flexible funding to address urgent drought-related needs. WFP and FAO supported food security and agricultural recovery through drought-tolerant inputs, irrigation rehabilitation, livestock restocking, and climate-smart agriculture. UNFPA strengthened protection by delivering integrated GBV, sexual and reproductive health, and HIV services via mobile clinics, counselling, and community referral systems. UNICEF scaled up climate-resilient nutrition and WASH services, screening 34,085 children, expanding acute malnutrition treatment, and advancing solar-powered water systems and sanitation training. Implementation progress highlights:

◗ WFP: Trained 40 extension staff, reached 5,531 farmers, supported irrigation/borehole rehabilitation, and provided rice inputs to 674 farmers in Lunga.
◗ FAO: Registered 2,772 farmers for crop inputs and 800 for livestock support, engaged suppliers/agro-dealers via
e-vouchers, and built climate-smart agriculture capacity.
◗ UNFPA: Reached 15,885 people with GBV,
SRH, and HIV services, provided counselling to 955 individuals, and strengthened ‘GBV and PSEA referral/reporting systems.
◗ UNICEF: Exceeded child nutrition screening.
targets, expanded malnutrition treatment, improved WASH in health facilities, and promoted climate-resilient sanitation.