Zambia's Ministers Push Climate, Finance and Health Agenda at UNGA81

Zambia's delegation to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York has kept up a busy schedule over the past 24 hours, with ministers taking part in high-level events on climate, development financing and health.

Foreign Affairs Minister Hon. Mulambo Haimbe, representing President Hakainde Hichilema, spoke at a side event on Climate Action and Just Transition. He reaffirmed Zambia's commitment to building climate resilience, diversifying its energy sources, strengthening agricultural adaptation and advancing a just transition under the Grow Zambia Agenda.

Hon. Haimbe also took part in "Keeping the Momentum: Implementing the Sevilla Commitment", a high-level event on financing for development. Zambia called for faster action, stronger institutional coherence and practical coalitions, so that global commitments translate into affordable financing, jobs and better services for ordinary families.

Health Minister Hon. Prof. Roma Chilengi delivered Zambia's statement at a high-level meeting marking the 40th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development. He said the right to development requires a pragmatic balance between protecting livelihoods today and building long-term resilience to economic, environmental and health shocks. He pointed to the Grow Zambia Agenda as the country's route from economic stabilisation towards inclusive and sustainable growth.

Prof. Chilengi also joined a ministerial roundtable on African leadership in producing AIDS and pandemic medicines. The meeting discussed how to build a strong, harmonised regulatory environment across Africa. He said Zambia is working towards producing medicines locally, and that Africa has the capacity and technology to achieve health sovereignty