Representatives from the Ministry of Finance and National Planning 

Acting Director Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr. Danny Kafuli 

Acting Assistant Director Planning, Mr. Tresford Musonda 

Acting Assistant Director Monitoring and Evaluation, Ms. Linda Chonya 

Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD) 

Director General, Ms. Agatha Banda Mulenga 

Representatives of the Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD) and Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (OPD) 

Colleagues from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and International Labour Organisation (ILO)

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen 

I am pleased to join you today to witness this capacity building collaboration between the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, UNDP, ILO, the Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD) and Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (OPDs). UNDP recognizes the pertinence of deliberate and genuine participation of persons with disabilities in national development. With reference to planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation, UNDP pays critical attention to ensure the inclusion of all players in the economy. National development plans are an important guiding framework and inform development priorities and resource commitments in Zambia. To promote disability inclusion and uphold the principle of Leaving No One Behind, it is critical for persons with disabilities to add their voice to the process. The genuine and active involvement of persons with disabilities gives them a voice to follow through the commitments to disability inclusion made by the government and other stakeholders and to hold them accountable.

Ladies and gentlemen, 

Advocating disability inclusion is in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the human rights framework, both of which uphold the principles of universality, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelatedness of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. It amplifies the need for persons with disabilities to be guaranteed full enjoyment of their rights without discrimination. 

Global instruments such as the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Human Rights all recognize the inherent dignity and worth and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family, as the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world. The United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy provides the foundation for sustainable and transformative progress on disability inclusion through all pillars of the work of the United Nations. Through the strategy, the organizations of the United Nations system reaffirm that the full and complete realization of the human rights of all persons with disabilities is an absolute, integral and indivisible part of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. Similarly, three of the twelve general principles of the Persons with Disabilities Act of Zambia (No. 6 of 2012), underscore that persons with disabilities, especially women with disabilities, are entitled to full and effective participation and inclusion in society; non-discrimination; and equality of opportunity. 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

Given UNDP’s multi-disciplinary expertise and increased practice in designing development programmes along systems and not sectors, UNDP is well-suited to promote a shift from the welfare perspective on disability toward the developmental perspective. This would include social and economic inclusion and empowerment, voice, and participation. Capacity strengthening for ZAPD and OPDs will promote socioeconomic inclusion, empowerment, and active participation of persons with disabilities in national development. Strengthening ZAPD and OPDs and elevating the voices of persons with disabilities fulfils one of the development outcomes of the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP) under the economic transformation and job creation pillar; enhanced citizenry participation in the economy. 

Director, Ladies and gentlemen, 

The UNDP Country Programme Document for Zambia (2023 – 2027) further outlines our continued commitment to foster human rights and to mainstream social inclusion, equality and non-discrimination into legal frameworks, policies, and strategies at national level and from the planning stage to the implementation and monitoring stage. Through our integrator role we are dedicated to working with our fellow UN agencies, government partners such as the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, and with key stakeholders like ZAPD and OPD. Our collective goal is to ensure that people living with disabilities are empowered towards more resilient livelihoods in the face of the economic and social challenges that many marginalised groups face today. 

This workshop is an opportunity to ensure that capacity building and strengthening of ZAPD and OPDs in planning, budgeting and M&E takes off as per the GRZ-UN Joint Programme on Social Protection II (2023-24). With the inclusion of their voices in national development processes, we believe that this training is a key step to not only promote disability inclusion in formulation and implementation of national development plans, budgets and monitoring and evaluation frameworks but to also overcome funding constraints. Through this partnership, we call all relevant actors and stakeholders to join us shape the future of development and national planning in a manner that is inclusive of all people, including persons with disabilities. 5 I wish you all a productive and deductive learning experience. 

I thank you.