Government and Development Partners Meet in Zanzibar for Strategic Dialogue

Yesterday, the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania and the Development Partners Group (DPG) held a Strategic Dialogue Meeting to enhance development cooperation and foster attainment of sustainable development aspirations for Tanzania. It was the first time that the meeting was being held in Zanzibar and the two sides discussed the status of their Development Cooperation Framework (DCF) including progress that has been made in its implementation, areas that could be improved and ways to improve collaboration going forward.

The meeting was opened by the First Vice President of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, H.E. Othman Masoud Sharif, on behalf of the President of Zanzibar and the Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, H.E. Hussein Ali Mwinyi. The First Vice President thanked development partners for supporting Tanzania bilaterally and multilaterally and committed to continue providing a friendly environment for development support to Tanzania.

The meeting was well attended by the DPG under the leadership of the respective co-chairs of the DPG, the acting High Commissioner of Canada, H.E. Helen Fytche and UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Zlatan Milisic. Other DPG members in attendance included heads of development cooperation and representatives from Brazil, the European Union (EU) and its member states, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, as well as Japan, Norway, Oman, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and also heads and representatives of UN Agencies in Tanzania and of the World Bank and African Development Bank.

Speaking on behalf of the DPG, Mr. Milisic commended the visible progress made in the development cooperation between the DPG and the Government over the years highlighting that, "DPs appreciate the Government’s recognition of the importance of national unity and social cohesion, rule of law, respect for human rights, an equitable society, peace and security, as prerequisites for sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development." Mr. Milisic added that, "DPs will continue to work with Government and other actors on these values, seeking to increase access to justice and human rights protection, and to ensure that no one is left behind in the development processes."

The Government and DPG agreed to follow up on a number of actions to further enhance development cooperation in Tanzania which will be tabled at a high-level meeting between the two sides that is set to take place later this year.

The Strategic Dialogue Meeting was also attended by a broad range of civil society, business representatives and academic and research institutions. The dialogue was followed by a Consultative Meeting Between DPs and the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar under the theme ‘Zanzibar’s Strategic Position to Enhance Engagement in Sustaining Development’. This meeting took place the day after the strategic dialogue with the same stakeholders participating. It was co-chaired by the Secretary of the Revolutionary Council and Chief Secretary, Engineer Zena Said and the DPG co-chairs.

The consultative meeting focused specifically on development cooperation in Zanzibar and included briefings for DPs on the Zanzibar Development Plan (ZADEP) 2021-2026 and its priority areas. DPs also gained better insight into the Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF) for Zanzibar, opportunities and challenges for the health and agriculture sectors, as well as private sector and civil society engagement in the development agenda. The DPs also presented to stakeholders and gave their perspectives on partnerships, the blue economy and potential opportunities to enhance cooperation.