The United Kingdom has pledged commitment to support the upcoming election process by working together with all Zambians in ensuring free, fair, credible and peaceful elections.
To prove this partnership, The British High Commissioner to Zambia, Nicholas Woolley has contributed K16 million to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to directly support the preparations and delivery of the elections.
“I am pleased to announce that the UK is contributing £500,000 (approximately 16 million kwacha) to the “Democracy Strengthening in Zambia” (DSZ) programme, as managed by the United Nations Development Programme,” Mr Woolley said.
“As close bilateral partners, friends within the Commonwealth, and fellow members of the Global Community of Democracies, the UK has been a strong supporter of Zambia’s democracy for decades. Our development and diplomacy activities have supported Zambia’s elections processes over many years, in line with the fundamental rights and freedoms that Zambia’s Constitution provides its citizens. And this year will be no different,” he added.
According to a press statement issued to ZANIS in Lusaka today, the British high commissioner appealed to all political parties to uphold Zambia’s long-standing reputation for democracy and peace.
“There is no place for violence. Disagreeing with someone’s political affiliation is not a reason to hound them from their office, to commit physical harm, to forcefully disrupt radio broadcasts, or to damage their livelihood and property. All of us have a responsibility to discourage and call out violence in the strongest possible terms,” he said.
Mr Woolley said Zambians should get ready to forge a new sense of unity after the elections to care for the most marginalized and vulnerable in society.
Meanwhile, UK High Commission’s Development Director and responsible for the UK’s aid programming in Zambia Steve Beel noted that the upcoming elections have the potential to be the closest and most actively contested since Zambia’s Independence.
Mr Beel said the UK and wider international community look to the electoral processes as a key indicator of the health of democracy and the basis for our engagements in country.
“A key expectation is that all individuals, across the civil service, the electoral institutions, the media, wider stakeholders and public at large, can play their roles in this crucial democratic process, and be ready to get behind whatever government emerges after the elections to drive forward Zambia’s future development,” he added.
And UK’s Head of Elections Programming in Zambia, Markus Weimer said UK’s wider work with the civil society is designed to ensure Zambian citizens have the widest means possible to engage in the electoral processes.
Through the UNDP’s multi donor elections fund, the international community supports the government of Zambia to strengthen democracy through functional and inclusive electoral processes which is provided through the UNDP’s three-year Democracy Strengthening in Zambia (DSZ) programme.
The DSZ builds on previous UNDP-led electoral cycle support to Zambia, addresses challenges and incorporates lessons learnt from previous electoral cycles. The UK has actively engaged in the programme’s development and management processes.
The DSZ project is aligned with Zambia’s Seventh (7th) National Development Plan (7NDP) 2017-2021 in which the government of Zambia pledges to promote transparency, accountability, citizen participation, and strengthen governance institutions.
Thank you for the gesture our partners. These are the level headed people we engage with and deal with. Not these angry upnd diasporan toilet cleaners who are just putting a burden on foreign countries. Akaps and your fellow bab00n friends, yes I am talking about you.
A f00Iish unemployed former toilet cleaning upnd diasporan will come here and say it’s their tax money. Hahahaha. How do you go abroad to go and rely on state handouts.
When I saw the heading of the first article “UK pledge support towards electoral process, contributes £500,000”, I was SHOCKED not seeing any PF Official, and it did not take long…..here we go, a PF with a smiling face…..simply can’t miss in action where there is money.
You are receiving the money/donation with OPEN hands, and after you use that money post-election, when the same donors ask for transparency of the results, you will call that as mingling in Zambian affairs. And you will see most of the PF i.d.iots on this forum will be calling out any such requests for transparency as being the “Imperialist” intervention. Patricia Commonwealth, was here to support dialogue
1. April 5, 2018 – “Local Driven Dialogue is the Only Option, Zambia is Not on Fire – President…
Patricia Commonwealth, was here to support dialogue
1. April 5, 2018 – “Local Driven Dialogue is the Only Option, Zambia is Not on Fire – President Lungu”
2.May 6, 2021 – “President Lungu calls for dialogue ”
No dialogue has ever taken place, After 2 years. This tells alot about the Zambian leadership
LT…moderating second part, I dont know why….You people are sick.
I only hope the £500,00 doesn’t end up in the pockets of the corrupt PF government or some of their criminal cadres!
“In an official ceremony on November 28, 1939, Lord Lothian, the British Ambassador, deposited Magna Carta in the Library of Congress for safekeeping. The Library exhibited it opposite the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence until April 24, 1940.”
“For early Americans, Magna Carta and the Declaration of Independence were verbal representations of what liberty was and what government should be—protecting people rather than oppressing them,” says John Kaminski, director of the Center for the Study of the American Constitution at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Much in the same way that for the past 100 years the Statue of Liberty has been a visual representation of freedom, liberty, prosperity and welcoming.”
Zambia need friendship like USA and Great Britain…
“In an official ceremony on November 28, 1939, Lord Lothian, the British Ambassador, deposited Magna Carta in the Library of Congress for safekeeping. The Library exhibited it opposite the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence until April 24, 1940.”
“For early Americans, Magna Carta and the Declaration of Independence were verbal representations of what liberty was and what government should be—protecting people rather than oppressing them,” says John Kaminski, director of the Center for the Study of the American Constitution at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Much in the same way that for the past 100 years the Statue of Liberty has been a visual representation of freedom, liberty, prosperity and welcoming.”
Zambia need friendship like USA and Great Britain has,…
Zambia need friendship like USA and Great Britain has, not trading on needles friendship.
People is @2 and @2 an actual person or bot. Full of hate for UPND is this health?!
Thing is toilet cleaners are human beings and doing an important job needed by society. Are there no toilet cleaners in Zambia? In mature economies for sure everybody pays tax and there is accountability.
Teally the one who needs to hear the message that Zambia deserves fair and peaceful elections is PF. Since PF became a major political player in Zambia people have been killed during elections. Very sad and primitive behaviour really!
Let’s hope ECZ officiates a clean elections.
Let’s not have another chavula this time.
Let the donating countries be proud of their
Contributions.
PF WILL NOT THIS ELECTION. UK HAS INVESTED OR IN SIMPLE TERMS “THEY VE BOUGHT THE RIGHT TO TELL YOU WHO THEY WANT AS PRESIDENT” THEY WILL SEND THEIR MONITORS FROM VOTING STATIONS TO ECZ OFFICES. AND IF YOU HEARE THE USA DONATE ALSO(BUY THEIR RIGHT OF ELECTION SAY) THEN ITS REALLY GAME OVER BEFORE EVEN AUGUST 12. As iam fully all ten provinces in Zambia now today are fully UPND and if these international players start coming on board like this, then HH wont need to be flown into State House, He will simply walk their at his own pace.