United Nations Day 2023

• Hon. Angellah Kairuki, Minister of Nat. Resources & Tourism
• Excellencies, Ambassadors, High Commissioners,
• Representatives of UN and International Organizations
• Government Officials,
• Religious Leaders,
• Civil Society Representatives,
• UN Colleagues,
• Distinguished Guests,

Habari za Asubuhi!

I am proud to be addressing you here today, as we celebrate the 78th anniversary of the establishment of the UN. 78 years ago, a small group of 51 states came out of the horrors of the WWII and joined together to promote peace and development. Since then, that number has grown to 193 member states. 24th October has been celebrated as UN Day since 1948 – it marks the anniversary of the entry into force of the UN Charter.

Today, we reiterate the long-standing collaboration between the Government and people of Tanzania, the international community, and the UN. By marking this day together, we are reenforcing our partnership and strengthening our commitment for successful implementation of Tanzania’s National development vision, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the AU Agenda 2063.

As many of you are aware and some of you witnessed, last year the Vice President of the UR of Tanzania, H.E. Philip Isdor Mpango, launched the UNSDCF. This CF is a guiding strategy for all UN AFPs in Tanzania, a coordinated effort to support the nation in realizing the SDGs, in the context of its national development plans and priorities.

The UNSDCF consists of 4 strategic outcome areas - People, Prosperity, Planet, and Enabling Environment. They represent an integrated approach to development, ensuring a balance between economic progress, social equity, environmental sustainability, and institutional effectiveness.

This year's UN Day theme, 'Investing in Tomorrow Today: Harnessing the Potential of Tanzania's Youthful Population, is rooted in the 'People' outcome area of our CF, in alignment with the Strategic Dialogue between the Government and Development Partners. It also reflects the central outcomes of the recent Human Capital Development Summit and emphasises our commitment to investing in Tanzania’s young population to give them the tools they need to contribute to national development.

The findings of the 2022 Census underscore a significant demographic trend, revealing that the majority of Tanzania's population comprises children below the age of 15. Given the projection that this youthful demographic will soon constitute the bulk of the working-age population, there is a remarkable opportunity to drive accelerated economic growth. However, to fully harness this potential, it is imperative that Tanzania makes the right investments to empower this generation.

This means investing in pivotal areas such as health, education, nutrition, social services, creating an enabling environment for their holistic development. By ensuring access to quality healthcare, robust educational resources, and comprehensive social services, we pave the way for a more resilient and capable generation, ready to lead Tanzania into a prosperous future.

The UN agencies contributing to the People outcome of the UNSDCF are contributing by implementing a comprehensive range of coordinated initiatives. These include:

• Improving health care systems, reproductive, maternal, new-born, child, and adolescent health, through targeted healthcare programs and interventions.
• Addressing the persistent challenges posed by HIV-AIDS, TB, Malaria, and other epidemics, through a multifaceted approach aimed at prevention, treatment, and support.
• Reducing the prevalence of malnutrition by implementing sustainable and accessible nutritional programs.
• Increasing access to quality education through inclusive and innovative educational systems, ensuring that every Tanzanian child can receive holistic, empowering education
• Enhancing access to clean Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene facilities across Tanzania.
• Improving protection against violence against women and children through measures aimed to prevent and address all forms of violence and exploitation.

Through these efforts, the UN, in collaboration with the Government and other partners, remains dedicated to foster an environment that empowers the young people and secures a prosperous future for all Tanzanians.

I would like to thank all development partners and our donors - without you these and many other activities would not be possible. I would also like to thank heads of UN AFPs and all UN staff that work hard to provide support to development in Tanzania. Ninasema Asanteni Sana!

I would like to express our appreciation to the Government and people of the UR of Tanzania for your commitment to multilateralism and the UN. We also thank you for continuing to host refugees from neighboring countries. Tanzania's generosity is deeply appreciated, and we acknowledge the considerable challenges this involves, particularly in view of the recent new arrivals of refugees from the DR of Congo.

Presently, the UN in Tanzania is confronted with a critical shortage of funding for refugee operations, making it increasingly difficult to adequately assist the growing number of refugees. We continue to appeal to the international community, urging their support in enabling us to assist Tanzania in providing essential humanitarian aid to the displaced people from the DRC and Burundi.

UN Secretary-General’s Special Edition UN SDGs Report, published in July 2023, paints a worrying picture on the progress of the SDGs globally. The report shows that only 12% of the SDG targets are on track. Progress on 50% is weak and insufficient. Worst of all, we have stalled or gone into reverse on more than 30% of the SDG targets.

Of course, these results have been impacted greatly by the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, the war in Ukraine, inflation and many other economic factors – and this does not include the potential impact of the current crisis in the Middle East. The SDG report warns that while lack of progress is universal, it is the world’s poorest and most vulnerable who are experiencing the worst effects of these global challenges. This reminds us of the urgency of our mission and the need for concerted efforts to overcome the obstacles that lie ahead.

Tanzania joined fellow UN member states at the SDG Summit past September and pledged its renewed commitment and transformative action to accelerate progress on the SDGs. This is a call to action for all stakeholders in Tanzania to come together, united, in our continued pursuit of the Global Goals.

SDG 17, Partnerships for the Goals, emphasizes the importance of global and national cooperation in achieving Agenda 2030. We must all persist in investing in people of Tanzania during these challenging times and bolster effective partnerships that accelerate and amplify progress. Collaboration is key to our success.

Allow me to conclude by conveying a quote from the UN SG, Antonio Guterres’s message for this year’s UN Day.

AND I QUOTE:

It is our responsibility to help build that world of peace, sustainable development and human rights for all.

I know we can do it. The Charter of the United Nations – which entered into force 78 years ago today – points the way.

END OF QUOTE

Happy UN Day to you all! Asanteni Sana!