Key Highlights

1,532 young people with access to work placements and growth of job skills through the Internship, Volunteer, Apprenticeship and Graduate (IVAG) Programme under the GRZ/UN Joint Programme on Youth.

The social sector budget allocations in the national budget rose from 23.7% to 30.5%. The Government launched a revised Decentralization Policy and increased allocation to the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) by 10 per cent, increasing resources to local communities

91 MPs capacitated in budget analysis to become advocates for improved social sector budgets in Parliament

1800 farmers capacitated in Agricultural mechanization

A local innovation, the Village Savers app, significantly improved the livelihoods and
incomes of primarily informal cross-border traders by providing them with surety of funds
when needed
 

2.1 million vulnerable and food-insecure school children nationwide had access to nutritious meals through school-feeding programmes in 2023, an increase compared to 1.9 million in 2022

1.1    million vulnerable households benefitted from social cash transfers and alternative livelihoods to improve wellbeing and alleviate poverty, through the UN Join Programme on Social Protection

120 Social Cash Transfer beneficiaries living with disabilities were trained in financial literacy and entrepreneurship

2,000 Persons with Disabilities (PWD) covered by the National Health Insurance Management Authority (NHIMA), who will receive medical care including assistive devices for 3 years as part of the pilot on extension of health insurance services to beneficiaries of the social cash transfer programme 

80,000 primary school children enrolled in a remedial learning programme in all 10 provinces of Zambia

A landmark legislation towards ending child marriages (the Marriage (Amendment) Act No.13 of 2023) was passed, setting 18 years as the legal age for all marriages including those under customary law

586 GBV survivors and those at risk of GBV received entrepreneurship skills trainings and enterprise start-up kits

64 women with obstetric fistula underwent successful surgical repair, thus restoring their health and dignity

6,700 young learners with enhanced knowledge on Reproductive Health to reduce teenage pregnancies and early child marriage, and to empower young people to make informed decisions

58 midwives enrolled in in-service midwifery training thereby enhancing the capacity of the provision of maternal health care
 

157,000 children under five years old registered and issued certificates 

Six Village-Led One Stop Centres operational in 4 provinces, to fight GBV 

500 women and youth were empowered to break the cycle of abuse following training in digital skills for marketing and prevention of online GBV 

Upon Government’s request, an UN-led Needs Assessment Mission was conducted, resulting in recommendations for the holding of inclusive, transparent and fair elections in 2026 

50 traditional Chiefs reconfirmed as champions for Ending Child Marriage in their chiefdoms

 
9,144 survivors of GBV accessed an integrated package of essential services. This included medical, psychosocial support, shelter, legal, policing and referral to economic empowerment interventions
 

20,000 smallholder farmers strengthened adaptive capacities through climate-smart agriculture practices, access to climate information and early warning, resilient alternative livelihoods 

Zambia issued its first Green Bond as part of efforts to foster environmentally friendly practices in financial institutions and promote green financing mechanisms

 
152 individuals trained on renewable energy and energy efficiency, aiming at increasing use of clean energy

 
146 young people were engaged as changemakers in interventions on climate advocacy and environmental protection