The Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania, H.E. Philip Isdor Mpango and the UN Resident Coordinator in Tanzania, Mr. Zlatan Milisic, have launched a development cooperation agreement which will guide the work of the UN system in Tanzania for the next five years. The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for the five-year period July 2022 to June 2027, was launched today in Dar es Salaam in the presence of representatives from the Government, the diplomatic corps, civil society and the media. Developed jointly by the Government and UN, the UNSDCF provides a framework for the UN’s support to Tanzania to achieve national development priorities, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as regional aspirations and commitments including the Africa Agenda 2063. The UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Zlatan Milisic, thanked the Government for sustained cooperation in designing the framework and emphasized that the UNSDCF was developed with the underlying principle of leaving no one behind, which aims to ensure that the most vulnerable and marginalized groups are prioritized. “I thank the Government and the development community in Tanzania for being with us every step of the way in formulating the UNSDCF,” said Mr. Milisic. “This launch comes at an important time with just eight years remaining to achieve the SDGs and Agenda 2030. The UN will continue working closely with the Government to deliver the commitments agreed to in the UNSDCF and we count on the support of all partners in its implementation,” he added.
The strategic priority areas of the UNSDCF were developed based on an analysis of Tanzania’s development landscape and where the UN is best positioned to leverage its comparative advantages to accelerate progress on national development priorities and the SDGs. These areas include strengthening social services empowering women and girls; transforming the economy; strengthening national governance systems; building resilience and assisting with climate change adaptation among others. This is Tanzania’s first UNSDCF following the global reforms of the UN Development System initiated by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
On her part, Senior Development Coordination, Head of UN Resident Coordinator’s Office and Strategic Planner, Ms. Shabnam Mallick, added that, “The UN System in Tanzania is large, a factor which has its own pros and cons. I am therefore pleased that the RC Office in Tanzania was able to quietly corral the valuable and disparate resources of the UN development system in Tanzania and support the RC, UNCT, Government, and national partners towards increased coherence, effectiveness and efficiency in producing a strategic framework that will guide development engagement and the trajectory of SDGs’ activities for the next five years. I thank all partners and colleagues for their dedication.”

According to the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report of 2021, it will take at least another 135 years for the world to achieve gender parity. At this rate, no one alive today is likely to see a world where gender equality is realized. The good news is that some countries will get there faster through committed leadership, investment and public policy. International Women’s Day, celebrated on the 8th of March every year is an opportunity for us to reflect on the efforts that have been made thus far, and what more needs to be done to accelerate progress towards a more gender-equal world. There have been some positive gains for women and girls in recent decades, yet today, women still experience numerous challenges. Women are still more likely to be poor than men, experience high rates of violence and abuse, and carry the greater burden of unpaid care work in the home. They continue to be underrepresented in leadership and decision-making, as well as science and technology fields, with persistent gender biases serving as barriers to women’s progress. Women living with disabilities are especially vulnerable, face even more forms of discrimination, and are further left behind. Tanzania’s theme for International Women’s Day this year is “Generation Equality for Sustainable Development: Let’s participate in the forthcoming census”. This is an important and timely reminder that women and girls need to be counted and visible in the census. We need to understand their potential and their realities to inform national planning, and specifically to implement Tanzania’s Generation Equality Forum commitments to promote women’s economic justice and rights.   In short, Tanzania needs solid data and evidence on women and girls in order to deliver on its commitment to achieve gender equality by 2030. In a country where women and girls make up the majority of the country’s workforce, it is imperative to collect and analyze comprehensive data on women and girls. This data will help to shape gender-responsive policies, laws, plans, programmes and budgets to uplift women and girls across the country. Population censuses provide official data on how many people live in a country, where they live, the breakdown of age and sex, as well as key social and economic characteristics of the population. Various fundamental assistance programs that support improved protection, education, health and economic security outcomes for women and girls rely on census data to inform them. Census data also aids the country in understanding the different needs and characteristics of the nation. It is vital that everyone, especially women and girls, take part to determine where to focus development efforts.  To ensure that the census is as inclusive as possible, and delivers the gender data that is needed, both women and men, girls and boys need to understand why it is important. This includes adolescent girls. As adolescence is a tipping point in a girl’s life, this data will help ensure they can access the right resources and opportunities so that the girls of today can become the leaders, entrepreneurs, and change-makers of tomorrow. It is also critical to identify and address existing gender biases in data collection. Women and girls who work outside the market economy have historically been invisible in official statistics due to discriminatory social and cultural norms and attitudes.   These biases need to be tackled head-on to ensure that the census takes into account women and girls’ contributions to their families’ livelihoods and the economy and that this data reflects their lived realities. Focusing on the census this International Women’s Day further demonstrates the government’s commitment and resolve to ensure that the census is gender-responsive and to improve the production and use of gender statistics more broadly. The government has also made commendable progress in recent years in making gender data more available and accessible, which has translated into a number of important publications including the Social Institution and Gender Index (SIGI) Tanzania, which provides evidence on how discriminatory social norms and practices continue to limit women’s and girls’ access to opportunities and rights. Generation Equality envisions a world where all people have equal rights and opportunities. Where there is equality in political leadership, classrooms, corporate boardrooms, and farm fields. Where women and girls, including those with disabilities, are safe and have equal access to economic opportunities. On this International Women’s Day, let us ensure that we enhance our collective efforts to make that vision a reality. Keeping all women and girls visible in national data sources can propel us in the right direction. We are proud to be accompanying Tanzania on its journey towards gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment. A journey that, with good data to guide our choices, does not need to last 135 years.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Joyce Msuya of the United Republic of Tanzania as Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 
She succeeds Ursula Mueller of Germany to whom the Secretary-General is deeply grateful for her leadership and dedicated service during her tenure. The Secretary‑General also wishes to extend his appreciation to Ramesh Rajasingham who has been serving as Acting Assistant-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs since March 2020.  Since 2018, Ms. Msuya has served as Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi, Kenya. In this position, she was responsible for a US$ 455 million budget and a portfolio of projects and operations valued at over US$ 1 billion, delivered through 2,500 personnel in 41 offices and headquarters. She provided administrative leadership to 18 Multilateral Environmental Agreements Secretariats, including Regional Sea Conventions. Between 2018 and 2019, she served as interim Executive Director at the Under-Secretary General level, steering the organization towards stability, leading the Fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly and mobilizing resources to support its mission.  She brings to the position more than 20 years of experience in international development and finance, spanning strategy, operations and partnerships, with diverse assignments in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Ms. Msuya has held several senior leadership roles at the World Bank Group including as Special Representative and Head of the World Bank Group Office in the Republic of Korea, Regional Coordinator at the World Bank Institute based in China and Special Adviser to the Senior Vice President and Chief Economist. She also led strategy and operations for the International Finance Corporation in Latin America and Africa, covering the manufacturing, agribusiness and services sectors.  A national of Tanzania, Ms. Msuya holds a Master of Science in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Immunology from the University of Strathclyde, Scotland. She is fluent in English, Swahili and Pare.  New York, 14 December 2021  Bookmark the Spokesperson’s website: http://www.un.org/sg/en/spokesperson

On this International Migrants Day, we recognize the contributions of migrants across the world in the face of many struggles including the COVID-19 pandemic. Migrants continue to face widespread stigmatization, inequalities, xenophobia, and racism. Migrant women and girls face heightened risk of gender-based violence and have fewer options to seek support. With borders closed, many migrants are stranded without income or shelter, unable to return home, separated from their families, and with uncertain futures. Yet throughout the pandemic, migrants have enriched societies everywhere and are often on the frontlines of the pandemic response as scientists, health care professionals and essential workers. The International Migration Review Forum next year will take stock of progress in implementing the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. It is an opportunity to advance efforts to ensure the full inclusion of migrants as we seek to build more resilient, just and sustainable societies. I welcome the pledging campaign launched by the United Nations Migration Network to strengthen the Compact and encourage Member States and others to get involved. Solidarity with migrants has never been more urgent. We need more effective international cooperation and a more compassionate approach to migration. This means managing borders humanely, fully respecting the human rights and humanitarian needs of everyone, and ensuring that migrants are included in national COVID-19 vaccination plans. It means recognizing the value of pathways for regular entry for both migrants and host countries. And it means addressing the underlying drivers behind migration, including deep inequalities, and combatting human smuggling and trafficking in people.