A Zambian youth activist has paid tribute to the Government of the Republic of Zambia for opening its doors and engaging the Civil Society Orgainisations and youths in the governance of the country.
According to a statement made available to the media by Wallen Simwaka, the First Secretary (Press) Permanent Mission of the Republic of Zambia to the United Nations, Daniel Sichilongo, a social and economic youth activist has told the United Nations (UN) that Zambian Government has always exhibited willingness to partner with the Civil Society Organisations in addressing the economic, social and political challenges facing the country.
Sichilongo who is Zambia ActionAid Youth Leadership Programme Envoy said Government does not deem it a crime to engage with the civil society in its interaction on governance issues and the general state of affairs of the country.
Sichilongo said this at a roundtable meeting themed; “Strengthening Youth Leadership to Create Sustainable and Resilient Societies,” on the sidelines of the ongoing High Level Political Forum at the Permanent Mission of Denmark to the United Nations.
The side event was organized by Bangladesh, the Dominican Republic, Denmark, and Office of the United Nations Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
He said Zambia has been open to partnership with the youths in its endeavor to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) particularly those that are targeting youths and their challenges in all sectors.
He said youths should endeavor to be the solutions to the economic, social and political challenges facing Member States and should therefore break the barriers that work to exclude the youths from fully participating in the governance of their respective countries.
He said there is need for the youths across the globe to build strong partnerships with their governments and the private sector because only then would their participation in the development of their economies be meaningful.
“As young people who want to chase our dreams, we must utilize our energy in engaging in responsible national activities. And coming from Zambia, I must say that our Government has opened its doors to the Civil Society Organisations so that we can engage the leadership on a range of governance issues including social political and economic. Government does not find it a crime to engage with the youth orgainisations and last week, I was even privileged to have a discussion with the Minister of Finance, Mrs Margarette Mwanakatwe on how we could find a solution to get out of our debt trap,” Sichilongo said.
Sichilongo said he was in New York representing the voice of the youth particularly those in rural communities on the UN clarion of leaving no one behind.- Lusaka Times
