UN support Botswana’s development agenda

United Nations has pledged its commitment in ensuring that Botswana starts realising the results for its key three development frameworks. UN Resident Coordinator, Anders Pedersen has said that the UN through its assistance wants Botswana and her people to achieve the three frameworks; National Development Plan 11, Vision 2036 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

He said the UN would be unlocking the potential of Botswana by supporting the frameworks. Pedersen was speaking in Gaborone Wednesday during the launch and signing of United Nations Development Framework (UNSDF) between the UN and Botswana Government. The signing was done by Minister for Finance and Economic Development, Kenneth Matambo on behalf of the Government of Botswana while Pedersen, supported by United Nations Heads of Agencies signed for the United Nations.Pedersen stated that over the past 18 months, the UN and Botswana Government have jointly developed the UNSDF, a joint framework that will guide the UN’s work in Botswana over the next five years from 2017 to 2021.

“UN Agencies have developed their individual Agency Country Documents to translate the joint UNSDF goals into programmes and projects. The UNSDF has been developed through a highly consultative process between the Government, development sector stakeholders including academia, civil society, and development partners.

“The Framework outlines how the UN with an unconventional and innovative approach will support broad-based partnerships towards the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals, Vision 2036 and the National Development Plans’ goal of Prosperity for All” said Pedersen adding that the focus would be inclusive growth. For his part Minister Matambo stated that Botswana has endeavoured to align the three developmental frameworks being the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Vision 2036 and NDP11. He said at the centre of these is the ideal of ‘leaving no one behind’. He expressed hope that through the UNSDF, the UN agencies will go a long way in supporting Botswana meet her development priorities.

Matambo indicated that through the consultative process that was carried out during the development of the UNSDF three strategic priority areas were identified as needing UN support. “These areas are strengthening the policy environment in order to make them more inclusive. This area will include promoting more targeted social protection, economic opportunity and to increase resilience of societies to withstand shocks and uncertainties.

The second area is eliminating implementation bottlenecks where the UN and Botswana will work together to strengthen systems to effectively implement the existing programmes”, said the minister. He explained that the third area is that of high quality data and statistics because it is important to inform planning, monitoring and evaluation in decision making and cannot be overemphasised.