Zambia Hosts High-Level Inter-Regional Meeting on Social Protection Amid Triple Global Crisis
Zambia is hosting a crucial three-day Inter-Regional Meeting on strengthening capacity for evidence-based social protection policies to tackle the ongoing global crises in fuel, food, and finance.
Convened by the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS), the meeting in Livingstone has brought together regional and international experts from countries including Namibia, Malawi, Rwanda, Senegal, Maldives, Cambodia, Tanzania, Ghana, and Zambia. The goal is to share insights, build partnerships, and explore innovative, evidence-driven strategies for resilient social protection systems.
Officiating at the event, MCDSS Permanent Secretary Ms. Angela Kawandami underscored the importance of evidence-based policymaking in addressing pressing issues of poverty, vulnerability, and inequality especially as Sub-Saharan Africa remains home to nearly two-thirds of the world’s extremely poor.
“This meeting comes at a pivotal time,” said Kawandami. “The lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with the triple global crisis and mounting debt distress, are deepening vulnerabilities across low and middle-income countries. Governments are struggling to invest in long-term, inclusive development due to limited fiscal space.”
She noted that over 60% of Zambia’s population now exceeding 19.6 million and growing at 3.5% annually live in poverty, with rural communities, women, and youth most affected. She reaffirmed Zambia’s commitment to prioritizing social protection as a pillar of its national development agenda and commended the United Nations and its partners for supporting the country in implementing data-informed, sustainable policies.
Also speaking at the meeting, Mr. Amson Sibanda, Chief of Service at the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), emphasized the value of regional collaboration in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“This inter-regional workshop aims to amplify what works, identify policy gaps, and chart a shared course toward adaptive and inclusive social protection,” he said.
