YouSaid · the spoken record

Hakainde Hichilema

lines on the record: 40
first: 2021-09-24
most recent: 2022-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“We appreciate the call from President Biden for greater inclusivity in the Security Council. We therefore continue to advance the African Common Position, as espoused in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, to ensure the effectiveness, credibility and legitimacy of our Security Council. In conclusion, we would like to reaffirm Zambia’s commitment to the fundamental principles on which the United Nations was founded and that safeguard our shared future of peace and prosperity for all nations, not just for some. I shall emphasize that point — the principles that safeguard our shared future of peace, stability and prosperity for all nations.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“I would like to emphasize that our United Nations should continue its peace efforts in this particular conflict. The efforts of the President and all of us collectively are well recognized. I am grateful for that. We would like to stress that global ambitions for peace and security largely depend on the effectiveness of the Security Council. However, the inadequacies of the Council’s current structure have become increasingly pronounced, with the ceding to the General Assembly of decision-making on matters of global peace and security that would otherwise have been the preserve of the Security Council and that should be the preserve of the Security Council. However, the burden has now been pushed onto the General Assembly. That is not right, and it brings to the fore the need for long- overdue reform of the Council.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Zambia joins other Governments in expressing particular concern about the ongoing war in Ukraine. As we stand with all who are affected, in both Ukraine and its neighbours, we also want to take this opportunity to stress the far-reaching negative consequences of the war, particularly for the price of food, fuel, fertilizer and other key commodities across the world. In any part of the world, war has a damaging effect on economic activity, which derails our collective fight against poverty and hunger. A few months of war can erase decades of progress, and I want to emphasize that. We must take note of it. We therefore categorically condemn war anywhere and continue to urge all the parties involved to pursue diplomatic solutions for conflict resolution.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“As the incoming Chair of the Southern African Development Community organ for politics, defence and security cooperation, Zambia will prioritize the restoration of peace and stability in our own country, to start with, and in the region. As the saying goes, charity begins at home. At the continental level, Zambia remains engaged and committed to the efforts of the African Union and the United Nations to promote peace in various conflict areas around the world. Going forward, I would argue that our United Nations system should tilt more efforts towards the prevention of conflicts, which is more cost-effective and palatable. As a signatory to various disarmament treaties and conventions, Zambia remains committed to promoting global peace and security.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Zambia believes that without peace and stability, our joint development efforts will be in vain — I repeat, totally in vain. We are therefore committed to remaining strong advocates of peace and stability in Southern Africa, on the entire African continent and the world over. Our guiding principle is that instability anywhere is instability everywhere. That reminds us that ending war and conflict is not only the responsibility of those directly involved in the conflict but also a shared obligation of every global citizen and every nation. I mean all of us, without exception. We cannot afford to allow instability to derail our noble programmes to better the lives of our people. We therefore take this matter seriously and will continue to actively participate in efforts to restore peace in all the troubled regions of our global village.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“To complement those measures, Zambia is championing the campaign to end child marriage in Africa, and of course all over the world. In the same vein, we are proud to inform the Assembly that earlier today, Zambia, Canada and other cooperating partners held a side event to galvanize support and review the commitment of the international community to ending child, early and forced marriage. With the assurances made during that event, we are hopeful that we will be able to achieve target 5.3 of Sustainable Development Goal 5, on gender equality, in our programming, which aims to eliminate that harmful practice. The world at large has grappled with growing instability and insecurity over the past year and the effects have been felt by millions of people around the world as lives and livelihoods have been lost everywhere.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Zambia has mainstreamed green growth and climate-change proofing in its current national development plan, which has articulated broad policy measures for transitioning Zambia into a climate-resilient and inclusive green economy over time. Thirdly, Zambia has continued to build on efforts to attain gender equality and inclusivity in various sectors of our society. Based on empirical evidence, the empowerment of women and poverty alleviation are positively correlated. It is therefore imperative that we dedicate corresponding efforts to ensuring that gender disparities are curtailed at all levels. Under its national gender policy, Zambia has been implementing affirmative action in favour of women and girls to ensure that their full potential is realized at all times.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“In addressing the emerging global climate crisis, I would like to point to a recent situation in Zambia, where in a single season one half of the country experienced total crop failure due to extreme drought while the other half experienced floods. That is obviously not normal. Those are the negative effects of climate change. Such extreme weather events are a timely reminder of the grave consequences of climate change. Without a doubt, we need robust solutions and cohesion in our approach at the global and regional levels to address the effects of climate change. As Chair of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change, Zambia calls for enhanced global efforts to address the issue, which should include increased financial support for countries with limited resources to mitigate and adapt to the negative effects of climate change.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“The expenditure of those funds at the community level is meant to ensure inclusive and sustainable economic growth that will support the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises and employment creation across all of our 10 provinces and 156 constituencies. I am pleased to note that in principle we have reached an agreement with our creditors under the Common Framework for Debt Treatments to restructure the national debt we inherited. We have also effectively concluded a deal with the International Monetary Fund based on our important home-grown economic transformation plan. We are very grateful to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the United Nations system as a whole and other cooperating partners for their support. The adverse effects of climate change have continued to ravage our planet.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“In terms of social economic benefits, our commitment to providing equal opportunities, especially for young people, has been demonstrated by the introduction of free primary and secondary education, as we believe that without a doubt, education is the best equalizer, the best investment and the best inheritance. Consistent with our pledge to invest in human capital, we have recruited more than 30,000 teachers and 11,000 health workers in 2022 alone. We are decentralizing service delivery and have increased the allocation of our constituency development fund by more than 1,000 per cent in our first budget in office. That is just the beginning.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Our economic recovery is on track, as evidenced by positive growth indicators and the stabilization of key macroeconomic variables such as interest rates, exchange rates, market stability and inflation, which we have been able to bring down from 25 per cent to 9.8 per cent in just one year in office. Zambia is on a path of growth from the economic contraction we experienced in the past, which was somewhere in the region of minus 2 per cent, to a gross domestic product now estimated to grow at approximately 3 per cent. That means we have seen economic growth of approximately 5 per cent in the past 12 months, which was difficult to achieve but was possible with a lot of hard work. Nevertheless, we still want to do more.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Countries that have seen their attainment of the SDGs go off-track must intensify their national consultative processes and stakeholder engagements and renew their commitments to reducing poverty, tackling energy poverty, supporting debt restructuring and enhancing access to concessional financing, which is very important for our own national development agendas. For our part, we hereby indicate in that regard our intention to present our second voluntary national review in July 2023 to highlight Zambia’s progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Despite the challenging external environment, our resolve to rebuild the Zambian economy is stronger than ever before.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“The international community must also work together to address the growing threat to environmental, human and animal health resulting from antimicrobial resistance, commonly referred to as drug resistance. Drug- resistant bacterial infections continue to cause millions of deaths. Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, bears the greatest burden of resistant bacterial infections, which account for a large proportion of deaths in our regions. That calls for better control systems when it comes to access to antimicrobial medicines for both human and animal use. I shall now focus on other areas of interest. With regard to economic performance, the crisis in Ukraine has hampered the recovery that was slowly taking hold, particularly in the developing world, where large sections of society remain in extreme poverty and inequalities widen by the day.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“The re-emergence of polio in our world is of great concern. For that reason, together with a number of countries in our region, Zambia is participating in supplementary immunization activities in order to prevent and halt the spread of the wild poliovirus type 1. That is in addition to ongoing activities to fight other vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, as well as to strengthen our routine immunization and maintain essential maternal and child health services. As the Global Cholera Control Champion — with many thanks to the World Health Organization, which gave us the opportunity to serve in that role — we must continue our fight against cholera with vigour. We also need to remain alert to any possible outbreaks of monkeypox, the Ebola virus or other such threats.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“In spite of the steady progress that has been made in curbing the COVID-19 pandemic, we still need to remain vigilant to guard against the possibility of its resurgence. We have all experienced the negative impact of the pandemic, particularly with the loss of millions of our loved ones and disruptions to socioeconomic activities across the world. As the world continues to recover from the pandemic, it is therefore essential to find lasting solutions, including by investing in resilient health systems that will respond to future pandemics such as COVID-19, among others. That means establishing a versatile international public health regime that will shun the hoarding of vaccines and related technologies in order to guarantee the rapid deployment of supplies from a global reserve for tackling future pandemics.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“As a country two thirds of whose population is below the age of 25, the outlook for the future and an emphasis on intergenerational equity are very important to us. Our Government seeks to harness that demographic dividend by investing in its youthful and energetic population for a better future. We therefore support the establishment of the United Nations Youth Office. That should encourage the meaningful engagement of young people in diverse ways, such as in political representation, access to lifelong skills training and education, support for youth innovation and entrepreneurship and indeed in decision-making in all areas of life, including climate change and environmental protection.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“The risks of further inequality are also real, especially for our developing countries, whose capacity to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change is inadequate, sadly, in spite of our insignificant carbon footprint. This is truly a defining moment of our time in which we must channel our collective efforts to address the numerous challenges that we face. That is why Zambia welcomes the challenge to build on Our Common Agenda (A/75/982) and endorses the call to convene a summit of the future. We call for arriving at a pact for the future that underwrites a new form of multilateralism in our world — one where major challenges are faced together, in solidarity, within the context of a revitalized international order that is rules-based, fair and inclusive, with the United Nations at the centre of it all.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Those challenges include the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic; climate change; the war in Ukraine and its associated effects on and disruptions to supply chains; food insecurity around the world; and high commodity and energy prices, as well as the overall high cost of living. They have cast a dark shadow over the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on our continent and around the world. The risk of reversal in our hard-won development gains is very real. COVID-19 unmasked global inequalities that stretch well beyond income and political boundaries, as the variations in access to vaccines have shown.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“At the outset, we would like to congratulate Mr. Csaba Korosi on his election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-seventh session. With his vast experience, we are confident that he will successfully provide the leadership required during his tenure as President of the General Assembly. We pay tribute, of course, in the same manner to Mr. Abdulla Shahid, for his unwavering dedication and excellent stewardship of the Assembly at its seventy- sixth session. We are meeting here at a very difficult time when global challenges have not only multiplied but have become more complex.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“That is what will make democracy sustainable and keep at bay autocratic and heavy- handed alternatives from leadership in our countries. That is what will foster a peaceful, prosperous and more united world.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“I wish to stress that the Government of the Republic of Zambia will remain committed to economic diplomacy and multilateralism and to consolidating global efforts through the promotion of open and cordial relations with the international community in order to ensure collective sustainable growth and development in our country. As I conclude, I wish to emphasize that it is the duty — and indeed the responsibility — of all of us in the global democratic community to make democracy work for all our people. We can do that by delivering democracy dividends by accelerating economic development and a balanced distribution of resources among our people and ensuring access to opportunities for a better life for our people. That is what will make democracy attractive to our people in our individual countries.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“In doing so, our aim is to eliminate hunger and rural poverty, as we know those issues affect women and children disproportionately. In addition, Zambia emphasizes the importance of ensuring that communities include women at every level of decision-making, as doing so will translate into a discourse that will be inclusive, representative and therefore more holistic and insightful. Our Government will focus on increasing support for women through the creation of employment opportunities and entrepreneurship programmes, among other things. We will also focus on increasing access to secondary education for adolescent girls from impoverished households through financial aid and grant schemes.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“For us in Zambia, we will remain committed to the advancement and promotion of women’s rights. For the first time in the history of our country, our new Parliament has elected the first female Speaker of the National Assembly to preside over Zambia’s supreme law-making organ of Government. Furthermore, I believe it is important and I state with pride that Zambia’s Vice-President of the Republic, as well as the deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, are both women. We are very proud of that. Consistent with our commitment, Zambia is implementing various initiatives designed to harmonize the development, programming and implementation of economic empowerment efforts targeting women and young people across the country.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“In that regard, Zambia wishes to reiterate the Common African Position — the Ezulwini Consensus — which calls for a more representative and democratic Security Council where Africa, like all other world regions, will be fairly represented. The call for gender equality is now a century-old struggle for women to participate equally with men in society as a whole. Despite the realization that women’s full and effective participation in all areas of life results in prosperity, women are still less involved in public life and decision-making than men. It is important that we continue to demand the promotion of gender equality while paying particular attention to the rights of women and children, especially girls, and the rights of people living with disabilities.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“In the quest for promoting global peace and security, Zambia notes with satisfaction the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which became operative on 22 January 2021. The entry into force of the Treaty is a tangible feat towards advancing the cause of nuclear disarmament on the international stage. Zambia encourages those States that are yet to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons to come on board so that we can continue making advances towards achieving our aspirations to eradicate nuclear weapons on our continent. On the reform of the Security Council, Zambia is still concerned by the slow pace of negotiations, which have continued without making much progress.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“In that vein, Zambia reaffirms its commitment to playing an active role in the Southern African Development Community mission in Mozambique, which is aimed at restoring peace to Cabo Delgado province. In addition, Zambia remains committed to the cause of the Lusaka master road map on practical steps to silence the guns in Africa — an initiative being implemented by all African Union member States to promote peace and security, which has since been endorsed for extension for a further 10-year period, from 2021 to 2030. We therefore wish to call for the continued support of the United Nations in silencing the guns in Africa and other continental initiatives.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Kofi Annan, laid out an ambitious agenda before the General Assembly at its sixtieth session, which is still pertinent today. In his report entitled “In larger freedom: towards development, security and human rights for all” (A/59/2005), he made the case that development, security and respect for human rights cannot be enjoyed in the absence of the others. Those are the indispensable realities of a well-functioning nation and international system. However, I wish to go a step further in asserting that the foundations of sustainable economic growth and development are peace and stability. Without peace and harmony, development cannot be attained. Zambia will therefore continue to support national, regional and international initiatives aimed at promoting peace and security and stability.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Although we have made leaps and bounds in the areas of peace and security and stability, there remain pockets of conflict in many regions of the world where the guns have not yet been silenced. The silencing of the guns therefore goes beyond addressing conventional warfare, as it also depends on addressing the new emerging threats of our century, which include the challenges of extremism and international terrorism, cybercrime, asymmetric warfare, the proliferation of non-conventional weapons and organized crime. As an international community, we need to continue working together to address the root causes of those global threats through various national, regional and global mechanisms. The former Secretary-General of the United Nations, the late Mr.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Our Administration has established a ministry that is the first of its kind in Zambia — the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment. To address that as well as other important issues concerning environmental sustainability, it became important for us to establish that new Ministry, which will be crucial to build our ability to implement climate-positive actions in our country. I am drawn to the prophetic inscription on the opposite the United Nations Headquarters, which reads: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (The Holy Bible, Isaiah, 2:4). Those words serve as a reminder to the United Nations to work towards global peace and international cooperation.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Zambia is aware of the critical role of the United Nations in guiding the world to focus on the sustainable development agenda. In particular, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development set the tone and benchmarks for countries to incorporate sustainability in their development policies. Our New Dawn Government in Zambia is committed to realizing tangible growth and sustainable development while paying particular attention to ensure that those are not achieved at the expense of future generations. Like many other developing countries, Zambia calls for closer cooperation and support in terms of capacity to adopt better, safer, climate-change sensitive and modern methods of increased production and productivity.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“In order to achieve that goal, our Administration shall design and implement interventions aimed at inducing enhanced productivity in agriculture, mining, energy, financial services, tourism, technology, health and education, as well as support the growth of micro, small and medium enterprises. Despite those well-thought-out interventions, today’s world economy is more complex than ever before. Given the numerous global concerns, including pandemics, climate change and illegal human migration, it is imperative that we adapt to those effects of globalization by fostering key partnerships and deepening integration at all levels. That is critical to ensuring that we realize our aspirations of restoring Zambia on a path to sustainable economic growth and development.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“I am confident that those measures will restore macroeconomic stability and put the country back on track to economic recovery. To sustain that growth, Zambia will dedicate efforts to guarantee a stable and predictable environment that will attract and protect local, regional and foreign direct investment, as well as enhance local participation in our economy. That is a prerequisite for a vibrant private sector-led economy, thereby creating jobs and opportunities for all our people. To complement those efforts, Zambia has embarked upon an ambitious economic and social transformation agenda with a view to creating equitable opportunities and poverty reduction for the Zambian people, especially the youth and women, who delivered the election victory in our country.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“With that realization, our Administration will work towards strengthening oversight and governance institutions and ensure the independence and autonomy of the three arms of Government, particularly the legislature and the judiciary. The fight against corruption will be at the centre of our transformation agenda, and that shall be executed with zero tolerance for corruption. We shall also promote free media and an active civil society, as they are critical in upholding checks and balances, human rights, liberties and freedoms. My Government’s high priority is to restore macroeconomic stability, attain fiscal and debt sustainability, promote economic growth, enhance economic diversification and manage the contraction of debt.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“I wish therefore to express Zambia’s appreciation for the support that has been provided so far through COVAX and the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust facilities, which the United Nations system and various stakeholders have benefited from. To further guarantee resilience, we call for concerted and enhanced global efforts towards promoting investments, particularly in local manufacturing capacity and technology transfer on vaccines, related infrastructure, human capital, as well as research and development. The new Administration in Zambia is cognizant that a conducive governance environment is a precursor for the country’s political stability, security, economic growth and sustainable development. It also fosters enhanced transparency, accountability and consultative dialogue.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“That clearly highlights the inequitable access to vaccines in developing countries, especially given that more than 2 billion vaccines have been administered worldwide. It is fair to say that recovery from the pandemic hinges upon mass vaccinations before considering other reforms or facilities that tend to fail when countries lock down their economies. It is therefore gratifying that this session of the General Assembly will consider building on initiatives such as the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust and the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility. The two initiatives have made it possible for low-income countries, such as Zambia, to access life-saving vaccines, which will contribute to building resilience and recovery from the pandemic.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“The disruption to educational systems, particularly in developing countries, was in part due to inadequate information, communication and technology facilities within our countries. In response to the pandemic, Zambia has developed a national preparedness and response plan for COVID-19, which has been used to guide the implementation of pandemic mitigation measures. The vaccine programme forms an integral part of the response plan in our country. Despite our placing the vaccine programme high on the list of mitigation measures, Zambia has managed to vaccinate a mere 3 per cent of its population. That is against the country’s target of vaccinating 70 per cent of the eligible population by the third quarter of 2022.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“His untold devotion to peace and unity laid the very foundation for Zambia’s stature as a beacon of peace, not only in Southern Africa but on the African continent as a whole. The Zambian Government will therefore build upon KK’s profound legacy to live in peace and harmony with one another. As we work towards this year’s theme, let us remember the important lessons that Dr. Kaunda taught us, especially as we work towards revitalizing the United Nations system. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a far-reaching socioeconomic impact globally, including disturbing trade flows, supply chains and various economic activities on our continent. In addition to the loss of lives, the pandemic increased poverty levels through job losses, stressed health-care systems and, worse still, the delivery of education to learners.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“We were able to achieve that political transformation even at the time when Zambia was grappling with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, and in the midst of deep sorrow following the passing on of our founding father and first republican President, Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda. I therefore wish to take this opportunity, on behalf of the Zambian people, to pay tribute to this iconic leader, who was fondly known in our country and elsewhere as “KK”. It is without doubt that the last remaining steward of liberation struggles has left an indelible mark on humankind. Dr. Kaunda’s principles, values and contributions to the ideals of emancipation and independence did not only spread across the African continent, but across the entire globe.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“I have the distinct honour to deliver my maiden speech as the seventh President of the Republic of Zambia following the electoral victory of our United Party for National Development in the presidential and general elections held on 12 August. I am pleased to inform the General Assembly that the people of the Republic of Zambia once again rose to the occasion to usher in a new Government through a peaceful election. That has enabled Zambia to further consolidate its democratic credentials. It serves as an inspiration to the African continent, as the outcome of our election was determined by those who vote and not those who count the votes. We are therefore proud to provide leadership in our country, where people aspire to a free and just society and where they aspire to have their voices heard.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“I wish to begin by congratulating His Excellency Mr. Abdulla Shahid on his election as President of the United General Assembly at its seventy-sixth session. I am confident that his wealth of knowledge and vast experience on multilateral issues will lead to a successful discharge of the important responsibilities of the General Assembly throughout this session. Zambia stands ready to work with the President as he executes his mandate in presiding over the matters of this session. To the outgoing President, His Excellency Mr. Volkan Bozkir, I wish to convey Zambia’s appreciation for his commendable service to the United Nations family during the seventy-fifth session.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)