Celebrating the UN at 71

Every year on 24 October, the United Nations commemorates its founding by celebrating UN Day, which is annually recognized by all UN member states. This year, the UN in Tanzania in partnership with the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, Development Partners, and youth marked the71st anniversary of the UN with a flag-raising ceremony at Karimjee Grounds in Dar es Salaam where the guest of honour was Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Honourable Dr. Augustine Mahiga.

The theme for this year’s UN Day celebration is “Tanzania: Youth Empowerment and Achievement of the Global Goals”. This theme resonates with the 71st  year Anniversary of the United Nations and the newly adopted Global Goals aimed at promoting sustainable development and poverty eradication. The theme also resonates with the United Nations Development Assistance Plan 2016-2021 (UNDAP II) which covers many of the issues that are crucial to addressing poverty and sustainable development.

Highlighting this important partnership and emphasizing the importance of the 5 Year National Development Plan, as a plan for the people, Dr. Mahiga, reaffirmed the Government’s strong commitment and support to Delivering as One UN reforms and urged policymakers to ensure all citizens benefit from the partnership with the UN system. The Minister reiterated that as the country embarks on its new national development plan, there is a need to ensure that people understand and take ownership of the plan which includes a commitment to the Global Goals.

He stated that, “Tanzania has incorporated Global Goals in our national policies as well as development strategies to put focus on critical areas for sustainable development,”  further adding “It is well known that the government alone cannot succeed in implementation of this agenda without support from the private sector and our development partners, and hence the need for an inclusive process. We urge the private sector and our development partners to join our efforts through the mobilization of financial resources to finance our development programs. Let those of us working in International Cooperation vow to not leaving anyone behind during this process”.

Emphasizing the significance of the UN’s relationship with Tanzania, Mr. Alvaro Rodriguez, the UN Resident Coordinator in Tanzania noted that, “Tanzania and the UN family have been partners in development for decades. As Tanzania changes, the support the UN provides must adapt to the countries new realities, especially as it approaches middle-income status. The Global Goals are essential in our partnership as they help prioritize the UN’s activities in Tanzania in support of the achievement of its economic, social and environmental objectives.”

This year, the UN Day celebrations on the 24th of October were preceded by a Youth Symposium where over 300 youth participated and a joint press conference between Hon. Dr. Augustine Mahiga and United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) representative, Ms. Chansa Kapaya who addressed the media as  UN Resident Coordinator a.i..

The evening of the 24th saw a UN Day Reception hosted by the UN Resident Coordinator where the guest of honour was Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Hamad Masoud Masauni. UN Day celebrations concluded with a final reception in Zanzibar where the guest of honour was Minister for Labour, Empowerment, Elderly,  Youth, Women and Children in Zanzibar, Ms. Maudeline Costico.their.

These celebrations continue to reinforce the strong and vibrant partnership between the government United Republic of Tanzania and its citizens and the UN. They reaffirm the joint commitment for successful implementation of UN programmes across the country in support of the Global Goals.