President Hakainde Hichilema announced the move on December 23, “after years of advocacy efforts by stakeholders, such as the National Human Rights Commission, civil society groups, development partners, the United Nations group and others,” it said.
The UN Delegation to Zambia led by Resident Coordinator Beatrice Mutali.
Several UN organizations there contributed to this milestone by providing a variety of technical assistance to the authorities.
Support review rights
For example, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the UN human rights office (OHCHR) assist the country in preparing for the United Nations Dong Nhan Quyen AssociationUniversal periodic review of (UPR), including a fourth review scheduled for this year.
The UPR process was established in 2006 to review the human rights records of all 193 United Nations Member States. It is carried out by a Working Group that meets three times a year, with 14 countries reviewed each session.
The abolition of the death penalty has always been included in the first, second and third periodic reviews as a key theme.
May’s ‘breakthrough moment’
The statement said President Hichilema took office in August 2021 and a “breakthrough moment” occurred in May after Zambia’s leader and new Government pledged to abolish the death penalty and work Congress to achieve this goal.
Since then, the UN group has ramped up its advocacy efforts, culminating in the celebration of International Human Rights Day with government partners in December.
The UN team also supported the review, revision and enactment of common laws, including the Penal Code and the Public Order Act, which also contributed to the recent repeal of defamation of the President as a crime. Criminal.
The United Nations and the Government of Zambia also recently signed a new roadmap for partnership over the next five years.
“With this United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, the group of countries will continue to support government efforts to strengthen democracy, human rights and the rule of law,” the statement said.
