17 May 2022, Dar es Salaam - The United Nations and the government of the United Republic of Tanzania have launched the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF). Officiated by the Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania, His Excellence Dr Philip Isdor Mpango, the event took place in Dar es Salaam on 17 May 2022.

The event attracted top Government officials including the Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Liberata Mulamula, Secretary of the Revolutionary Council and Chief Secretary Zanzibar Honorable Zena Ahmed Said, the Minister of Finance for Tanzania Mainland, Honorable Mwigulu Nchemba and development partners.

Represented by the Country Representative Dr. Zabulon Yoti, the World Health Organization participated at the launch event in Dar es Salaam alongside other heads of UN agencies represented in Tanzania.

The new cooperation Framework was developed in close collaboration with the Government of Tanzania and other development stakeholders. Addressing at the event, Dr. Mpango appreciated the value of Tanzania’s cooperation with the United Nations in pushing forward the national development agenda. “We are committed to continued cooperation and collaboration with the United Nations and other development partners, and we call on all partners to collaborate with the Government and all parties for a successful implementation of this framework,” said Dr. Mpango.

The Chief Secretary of the Zanzibar Revolutionary Government, Honourable Zena Ahmed Said also emphasized continued collaboration and said, “The Government in Zanzibar would like to assure the United Nations of our continued collaboration and support during the implementation of this new cooperative framework.

According to the UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Zlatan Zlatan Milišić the new UNSDCF will commence in July 2022 and guide the work of the United Nations in Tanzania for the next five years. Heads of 24 United Nations Agencies with offices in Tanzania participated in the launch.

“This framework is Tanzania’s first to be written since the United Nations rolled out development reforms spearheaded by the current Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Gutterres,” said Mr. Milisic, adding that under the UN reforms the new framework will confer more collaborative space than previous frameworks.

It provides a platform for the UN’s support to national development priorities outlined in the Third Five-Year Development Plan 2021/22 – 2025/26 and the Zanzibar Development Plan 2021 – 2026, acceleration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and promotion of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063.

Bringing together 24 UN entities with development operations in Tanzania, the UNSDCF focuses on four strategic priorities: People, Prosperity, Planet, and Enabling Environment.

“Health is an integral part of all areas of development of individuals and society. The launch of the new framework is culmination of months of work that WHO and other health partners have  been involved. We, therefore, pledge our involvement in its implementation,” said Dr Zabulon Yoti, WHO Tanzania Country Representative.

This UNSDCF represents a new generation of UN development cooperation frameworks that are central to the UN Secretary-General’s reform of the UN Development System. It prioritizes the underlying principle of ‘leaving no one behind’ to ensure that the most vulnerable and marginalized groups are prioritized.