The Government of Finland has given a grant of €1million to nine Zambian Civil Society Organisations involved in natural resources, agriculture and wildlife conservation, under the second phase of the Civil Society Environment Fund.
And the Zambian government says it is committed to ensuring that it puts in place policies and legislations that will provide an enabling enviroment where stakeholders and civil societies will effectively carry out their work.
Speaking at the signing ceremony of agreements of the nine CSOs, acting Lands and Natural Resources Permanent Secretary Leonard Sikaonde says, government has revised the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan of 1999 and replaced it with the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan of 2015 to guide conservation until 2025.
He says the strategy has set eighteen conservation targets on different aspects of biodiversity which is hoped to be achieved by the year 2025.
“As government, we will count on these organisations to help us implement provisions of these policies and legislations to effectively manage our enviroment and natural resources,” said Sikaonde.
He also commended the fund for providing the support stating that Civil Society Organisations are key to effective management of natural resources as they closer to the people.
“As government, we will always put in place policy legislations in order to provide an enabling environment in which stakeholders and Civil Society Organisations will effectively carry out their work,” he added.
And Finish Ambassador to Zambia Timo Olkkonen says Zambia remains one of Finland’s long term development partners which has supported the Zambian government for over 40 years in natural resources, agriculture, private sector development and good governance.
Olkkonen says during the one and half years he has been in Zambia and travelling to various places, he has realised that there are huge opportunities for the Zambian government to be able to increase its own domestic revenue from tourists, researchers and academics among others.
“Under the new Finish development, Zambia is recognized as a country where development is underway and the long term relations between the two countries offers an advantage for Finland and Zambia to gradually shift to other multidimensional cooperation,” said Olkkonen.
The CSOs that have benefited from this grant include Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust, CARITAS Solwezi, Kaloko Trust (in partnership with green living movement) and PANOS Institute of Southern Africa.
Others are Council of Churches in Zambia, Kasisi Agricultural Training College, Action Africa Help International, Publish What You Pay Coalition hosted by CARITAS and Extractive Industry Transparency Alliance.