LAUNCH OF THE ISSUES PAPER FOR THE JUST CITIES PROJECT IN ZAMBIA

Baseline Information for the Just Cities Project in Zambia

The Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) Zambia and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN Habitat) in Zambia signed an agreement at Africa level to collaborate, and occasionally host joint events, policy dialogue programmes and workshops on a variety of topics with the aim of contributing to the achievement of SDG No. 11 and more socially just cities.

In an effort to provide awareness and accelerate the achievement of just cities and the SDG No. 11 in Zambia, FES Zambia and UN-Habitat commissioned a research study in four (4) cities namely Chipata, Kitwe, Solwezi and Livingstone to establish gaps, limitations and challenges in achieving SDG No. 11 and other social justice issues through the issues paper whose objective is to provide recommendations and guide the social dialogue and policy engagement with relevant policy makers at district and national level in Zambia. This research was was meant to gather baseline information for the preparation of an Issues Paper on the Just Cities Initiative (JCI) in Zambia.

The key recommends of the research are that a programme/project intervention,around the Just Cities thematic area, be conceptualized, designed,piloted in a selected city and scaled up to promote urban and social development outcomes that will contribute to SDG 11. The proposed intervention will complement the Local Authorities’ existing urbandevelopment plans (including IDPs), and social and community development programmes through establishment of multi-level and multi-stakeholder urban governance, public policy dialogues (PPDs), and urban forums, and through advocacy for social accountability and peer-to-peer cooperation with cities within Africa that are already implementing the Just Cities initiatives. Policy dialogues will be driven and coordinated by Local Authorities, just cities core groups and designated implementing partners. The intervention will promote linkages with key policy making public institutions and will be aligned to relevant national development plans and policies.

It is from this research that a Publication titled Towards the Just Cities in Zambia – Issues Paper, was produced and on the 28^th February 2023, the publication was launched by the Hon. Gary Chilala Nkombo, Minister of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development-Zambia.