The UN in Zambia met with President Hakainde Hichilema to strengthen high-level partnerships for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. Discussions covered planning and coordination, skills development and job creation, constitutional reform, peace architecture, economic growth, and Zambia’s international representation. The UN also presented the UN80 initiative, emphasizing efforts to enhance strategic consolidation, cost-effectiveness, and impact while upholding UN principles and mandates.

Enhanced alignment of national development planning with global priorities was achieved through UNCT collaboration with the Government of Zambia via two Joint Steering Committee meetings in 2025, co-chaired by the UN Resident Coordinator and the Ministry of Finance and National Planning. These meetings provided strategic oversight of the Cooperation Framework 2023–2027, advancing dialogue on humanitarian response, peacebuilding, and integration of global commitments, including the Pact for the Future, Financing for Development, the LLDC Doha Programme of Action, WSSD2 and into the 9NDP.

The UN in Zambia reinforced its leadership role with the Cooperating Partners Group (CPG) by convening a Funding Compact dialogue with Ireland, addressing declining financing and advancing the UN80 initiative. This repositioning strengthened joint programming, improved efficiency, and enhanced impact, ensuring more integrated and sustainable development results.

The UN strengthened private sector collaboration through ZACCI, convening two high-level engagements where the UNCT met with CEOs to review partnerships and identify new opportunities. The RCO and the UN Global Compact (UNGC) Africa Hub promoted UNGC membership.
These efforts led to a significant increase in the membership from 9 companies in 2024 to 21 in 2025, demonstrating stronger private sector commitment to advancing the SDGs.

The UN convened a multi-stakeholder meeting bringing together government, cooperating partners, financial institutions, civil society, academia, philanthropy, media, trade unions, and humanitarian actors. The meeting raised awareness of the UN80 initiative, clarifying that reform is a transformation to make the UN more agile, effective, and relevant, not a downsizing exercise. It reaffirmed the UN’s commitment
to peace, human rights, and development, strengthening stakeholder confidence in the UN’s role amid global financial and geopolitical shifts.

Partnerships were strengthened with humanitarian actors to support early recovery interventions funded through CERF’s Underfunded Emergency grant. Regular Humanitarian Country Team meetings ensured effective coordination, combining the UN’s global frameworks and resources with local actors’ knowledge and agility. These partnerships delivered timely, context-specific assistance to vulnerable populations, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas, reinforcing resilience and recovery.