Zambia elected into UN preparatory committee for 4th International Conference on Financing for Development

Zambia has been elected into the Bureau of the Preparatory Committee at the United Nations tasked with organising the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development to be held in Spain in June.

Permanent Mission of the Republic of Zambia to the United Nations, First Secretary for Press and Public Relations, Namatama Njekwa, said Burundi and Portugal were elected as Co-Chairs of the Bureau with Zambia being among one of the 12 Vice-Presidents chosen.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Njekwa revealed that the selection happened during the Organisational Session of the Preparatory Committee held on February 23, 2024 which meant Zambia and South Africa will represent the African region on the Bureau.

“Burundi is representing the developing countries while Portugal is representing the developed countries,” he added.

She stated that the conference which would be held in Spain would build on the previous conferences in Monterrey, Mexico (2002), Doha, Qatar (2008) and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2015), as well as follow up meetings under the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) over the past eight years.

“Zambia’s contribution to the work of the Committee will be critical given its experience on debt resolution under the G20 Common Framework,” Njekwa said.

She further stated that the country will advocate for concessional financing models tailored for developing nations and push for a fairer international tax system to expand fiscal space in the global south.

“This approach will enable increased investments across all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” she highlighted.

Njekwa added that other countries elected as Vice-Presidents to represent their various regions are Islamic Republic of Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Canada and Norway.

She noted that China would rotate with another country from the Asia Pacific.

“Spain and Uganda serve as ex-officio members, due to their roles as host country and chair of the G77 and China, respectively,” she said.

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