President Hakainde Hichilema announced the move on 23 December, which “follows years of consultation efforts by those concerned, such as the National Human Rights Commission, civil society, development partners, the UN and other partners,” he said. .
The UN team in Zambia is led by the Chief Executive Officer Beatrice Mutali.
Many UN agencies there contributed to the important event by providing a lot of technical support to the authorities.
Support for claims review
For example, the UN Development Program (UNDP) and the UN Office of Human Rights (OHCHR) assist the country with the preparation for the Human Rights Committee of the UN’s Universal Periodic Reviews (UPR), with the fourth review scheduled for this year.
The UPR was established in 2006 to review the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States. It is organized by a Working Group that meets three times a year, with 14 countries reviewing each session. .
The abolition of the death penalty has often been included in the first, second and third periodic reviews, as an important topic.
‘Discovery season’ in May
President Hichilema took office in August 2021, and a “successful moment” took place the following May when the president and the new Zambian Government agreed to end the death penalty and work with parliament to this end, the statement said.
Since then, the UN has stepped up its advocacy efforts, culminating in the celebration of International Human Rights Day with government partners in December.
The UN team also supports the review, reform and implementation of ordinary laws, including the Criminal Code and the Civil Procedure Code, also contributing to the recent repeal of corruption of the President as a criminal offense.
The UN and the Zambian Government also recently signed a new roadmap for partnership covering the next five years.
“Through this UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, the country will continue to support government efforts to integrate democracy, human rights and the rule of law,” the statement said.
