QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER DELEGATION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION ZAMBIA AND COMESA January - March 2018 TABLE OF CONTENT

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1 EDITORIAL BY AMBASSADOR ALESSANDRO MARIANI During the first quarter of 2018 the European Union continued to invest time and energies in the relations with civil society with a wide variety of activities including: (i) the visit to the Refugee camp and settlement area in Nchelenge district, which was followed by the announcement of a financial support via UNHCR and Civil Society Organisations; (ii) the promotion of the fight against Gender Based Violence with the signature of a new programme and its official launch in Lusaka as well as in Luapula and the Northern provinces; (iii) the enhancement of our joint efforts to protect wildlife in three main transfrontier conservation areas between Zambia and Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia; (iv) the dialogue with civil society organisations with a specific mandate to assist marginalised groups, with a specific focus on re-integration in society of incarcerated people; (v) first formal elections of the Board of Directors of the EU Zambia Business Club, which can play a more and more important role in dialogue with the Government of Zambia on investments and business climate. This very important work was strongly supported by a very active role of all EU Member States. In the same period the European Union continued to develop agreed development programs in the main focal areas such as energy, agriculture and governance. In the energy sector worth reporting is the continuous progress registered at the Ithezhi Tezhi Hydropower Plant, which is supported by EU grants blended with loans from the European Investment Bank and the Agence Française de Development. At the regional level the EU and COMESA completed the preparatory work for the agreement on The COMESA Cross Border Trade Initiative: Facilitating smallscale trade across the borders. TABLE OF CONTENT EU ZAMBIA PARTNERSHIP I. ELECTION OF THE EU ZAMBIA BUSINESS CLUB BOARD II. EU SIGNS SGBV PREVENTION AND SUPPORT PROGRAMME III. EU AND PARTNERS INVEST 4.7 M EURO TO PROTECT ZAMBIA'S WILDLIFE IV. EU'S BLENDED FINANCE POWERS ITEZHI TEZHI HYDRO V. EU ENGAGES CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS IN ZAMBIA VI. NATIONAL TOURISM MASTER PLAN EU COMESA PARTNERSHIP I. REGIONAL TRADE VISIT TO CHIRUNDU AND KASUMBALESA VOICES FROM THE FIELD I. EU VISITS REFUGEE SETTLEMENT AREAS IN NCHELENGE DISTRICT II. PRISONER'S RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS PROJECT III. VISIT TO THE INTEGRATED SCALING UP NUTRITION (I- I wish to take the opportunity to draw your attention to the Lifeline/Childline Zambia, a toll free telephone counselling and guidance service for adults and children that face problems such as gender based violence, child abuse, early child marriage, etc. Their numbers are 933 (Lifeline) and 116 (Childline) respectively. My humble appeal to all our readers is to become goodwill ambassadors for these numbers and assist in disseminating them as widely as possible in Zambia. I count on you all and wish to thank in advance most sincerely. I wish you all a good and informative reading. 1 SUN) PROJECT IV. RAGWA-NUT PROJECT SANITATION WATER, HYGIENE & V. CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE SCALING UP (CASU) PROJECT CHONGWE VI. RAGWA-NUT PROJECT

2 EU ZAMBIA PARTNERSHIP Election of the EUZBC Board Provinces of Zambia, where SGBV indicators are worse than national average. On Thursday, 8th of February, the EU-Zambia Business Club elected its first formal Board. The Board is made up of experienced EU and Zambian CEOs: Henk Mulder ZANACO CEO and EUZBC President, Elaine Henning Moore Stephens Head of Office and EUZBC Vice-President, Mark Lüring Drake & Gorham Managing Director and EUZBC Vice-President, Nasir Ali Partner PwC and EUZBC Treasurer, Myanda Mulambo Event Solutions CEO and EUZBC Assistant Treasurer, Cristina Banuta Private Sector Advisor at the EU Delegation and Secretary of the EUZBC, and Eston Sakala Evolution Logistics Managing Director and EUZBC Assistant Secretary. The Ambassador of the European Union, Alessandro Mariani, emphasised that mind-set changes take time and he appealed to the traditional chiefs and media present at the event to champion the fight against SGBV. In this context, Ambassador Mariani also visited Kasama and Mansa, where he officially launched the programme together with the provincial authorities, traditional and religious leaders, CSOs as well as a team of the Ministry of Gender and the National Authorising Office/Ministry of Finance. The Board will bring renewed impetus to the Association by setting its priorities and driving it forward. EU Signs SGBV Prevention and Support Programme On 9 th February, the Government of the Republic of Zambia and the European Union signed a 25 million Euro (approx. 300 million ZMW) Financing Agreement for a new Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) Prevention and Support programme to SGBV survivors. The programme will support the Zambian Government in the prevention of SGBV by changing beliefs, attitudes and practices and by increasing access and use of comprehensive support services for survivors. It will be mainly implemented in the Luapula and Northern 2 These events included a number of activities such as bilateral meetings with the local highest authorities, visits to the SGBV One Stop Centres and to provincial shelters. Panels discussing first hand experiences, including the testimony of SGBV survivors, were broadcasted live in both provinces. The Ambassador appealed to the participants to form strong alliances, as inclusive as possible, to combat all

3 together SGBV. The platforms were also taken as an opportunity to promote Lifeline/Childline Zambia, a toll-free telephone counselling and guidance service for children and adults that face problems like child abuse, child marriage, genderbased violence, etc. (telephone numbers 933 and 116 respectively). EU and Partners invest 4.7 m Euro to protect Zambia's Wildlife The protection of the fauna in Africa remains a huge challenge. Iconic species such as elephants, rhinos, leopards and lions are being decimated by poachers, who are often backed by international criminal networks trading illegal wildlife products. In Zambia and Malawi, the project "Sustainable Management and Wildlife Law Enforcement of the Nyika- North Luangwa component of the Malawi-Zambia Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA)" will secure the biodiversity of this TFCA by consolidating six community conservation areas into one single corridor that connects Nyika National Park and Vwaza Wildlife Reserve in Malawi with North Luangwa National Park in Zambia and reinforce the protection of a national forests. Livelihoods of rural households will also be improved. The "Strengthening Community Law Enforcement and Sustainable Livelihoods in Kavango Zambezi TFCA (KAZA)" initiative will reduce illegal killing and trafficking of wildlife in three key nature conservation sites with high poaching pressure in the KAZA TFCA in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia. In Zambia and Zimbabwe, the "Partnership for improved anti-poaching and compatible land use in community lands of the Lower Zambezi-Mana Pools Transboundary Conservation Area" will reduce illegal wildlife trade and enhance habitat conversion in the Lower Zambezi-Mana Pool TFCA. The project will strengthen community engagement in sustainable natural resource management, anti-poaching efforts and integration of conservation and compatible land uses. EU's Blended Finance Powers Itezhi Tezhi Hydro Zambia's 7th National Development Plan identified the energy sector as a key driver for inclusive and sustainable growth and the European Union is fully committed to help the Country reaching its sustainable energy development goals. Pictures: Cheetah and Wild Dog John Birch; Leopard Nick Dale; Elephant Andreas Klotz; Lion Jacques-Andre Dupont Since February three cross-border projects worth 4.7m Euro (approximately 56 million ZMW) benefit Zambia, together with its neighbouring countries Malawi, Namibia and Zimbabwe. The three projects are implemented by African Wildlife Foundation, Peace Parks Foundation and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). 3 An example of the multifaceted support to the sector is the

4 European Union's blended financing of the Itezhi-Tezhi hydropower project, aiming at enhancing renewable energy generation and transmission for national consumption as well as export, thus reducing the share of generation of fossil fuels in the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and in Zambia. According to a recent monitoring mission, actual power generation at Itezhi-Tezhi hydro power station is already at approximately 80% of the maximum generation capacity. This has steadily increased from 544 MWh in 2016, 725 MWh in 2017 and currently projected at 780 MWh for To date, the plant experiences minimal down-time of less than 1% per annum. contribution in the project company and the development of the transmission line by way of interest rate subsidies to the EIB and AFD loans. The European Union's support to the project demonstrated the value of blended finance in ensuring the financial close of a USD 280 million project and ensuring debt sustainability by lowering the overall cost of debt for Zambia's energy sector developments. EU engages Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Zambia The EU Delegation to Zambia launched a call for proposals with two LOTS - on 13 March 2018 titled "Citizen Engagement in Democracy and Re-integration of Inmates in Correctional Facilities in Zambia". The total size of the grant is 3 million Euro. To help familiarise potential applicants with the guidelines for the call, an Information session was convened on 21 March 2018 at the Hotel InterContinental and attended by 86 representatives from various civil society organisations. The hydropower plant was developed under a project finance model with private sector participation, on a 25- year Build-Own-Operate-Transfer concession term while the transmission was wholly a public sector investment. The project company, Itezhi-Tezhi Hydropower Company (ITPC) consisted of 50% equity by TATA and 50% equity provided by ZESCO. This is a first-of-its-kind public private partnership in the Zambian energy sector. The project consisted of the construction of: A new 120MW base load hydropower plant at the site of the existing Itezhi Tezhi dam on Zambia's Kafue River; 280 km transmission line owned by ZESCO from Itezhi Tezhi to Lusaka West via Mumbwa, that connected the power station to the national grid and thereby to the South African regional network. The European Union's 18.2 million Euro grant under the Africa Investment Facility supported ZESCO's equity 4 A team from the EU Delegation was on hand to respond to the questions which were asked during the session. Potential applicants were also encouraged to submit clarifications they may have pertaining to the call by 11th April The closing date for receipt of concept notes was 2nd May The global objective of this call is to enhance Civil Society Organisations' contributions to governance and development processes in Zambia while the two specific objectives focus on enhancing the role and capacity of Zambian CSOs as actors in the promotion of governance and accountability interventions at local and national levels and also promotion of inclusive sustainable growth

5 through skills development in favour of incarcerated populations and strengthen community response systems for their reintegration. their final draft to a wide range of stakeholders from other Government ministries and agencies, to provincial Permanent Secretaries and private sector representatives. The meeting approved the National Tourism Master Plan, which gives a direction and an action plan for developing the industry over the next 20 years. The expected results include; improved CSO competences to operate in governance and accountability, social sectors, structuring and joint actions, including through networks as well as improved access to - and quality of - services for economic empowerment for inmates in correctional facilities. National Tourism Master Plan The Ministry of Tourism and Arts will now submit the document for approval by the Cabinet of Ministers and will set up an Implementation Unit to ensure traction for actual implementation of the National Tourism Master Plan. EU COMESA PARTNERSHIP Upon request from the Ministry of Tourism and Arts, the European Union has supported the drafting of a National Tourism Master Plan for Zambia. The project has been undertaken under the coordination of the Ministry and it involved extensive travelling and consultation of stakeholder around the country. On the 28th of March, the Team Leader representing the team of experts who worked on the Master Plan presented 5 Regional Trade Visit to Chirundu and Kasumbalesa During the month of March, EU staff from the Economic, Rural Development and Regional Cooperation Section of the European Union Delegation to Zambia and COMESA carried out trade facilitation scoping missions to two priority border posts identified under forthcoming regional trade cooperation programmes with COMESA: Chirundu and Kasumbalesa. The purpose of these missions, organized with the support from the Zambian Revenue Authority ZRA and conducted together with the COMESA Secretariat, was to assess the main trade facilitation needs and constraints at these border posts and to fine-tune the programmes' design accordingly. It was also a good opportunity to raise awareness about forthcoming EU support. In Chirundu, the EU team had the opportunity to hold consultations with key border agencies, clearing agents and traders' representatives from Zambia and Zimbabwe.

6 This was followed by a guided tour of the main border facilities (inspection, weighbridge, passenger terminal). Chirundu was the first-ever One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) built in Africa. the Cross-Border Traders Association's representatives and traders. This mission also included a visit of the existing border market and of the Trade information Desk's office on the Zambian side of the border. The main challenges identified include insecurity and smuggling, inadequate facilities and infrastructure for traders to store and sell their products as well as lack of accurate data on cross border flows. All these priorities will be tackled through the forthcoming EU-funded programmes with COMESA. VOICES FROM THE FIELD It is an important border crossing point along the North- South Corridor, both for trucks and buses. It is however not functioning optimally, notably because the border infrastructures were already built before the launch of the OSBP. Important trade facilitation challenges identified during the mission include connectivity problems, lack of integration of Asycuda systems, human resources capacity constraints at the border as well as uncoordinated inspections and the need to enhance risk management capacities. At Kasumbalesa, probably the busiest border post in Zambia, the visit was focusing on small-scale cross border trade flows (around 1500 persons on average crossing the border every day). Consultations were held with various government agencies present at the border as well as with 6 EU Visits Refugee Settlement Areas in Nchelenge District On 15 February, a team from the European Union visited Kenani Transit Centre and Mantapala refugee settlement area in Nchelenge district in the Luapula Province where almost 15,000 refugees from DRC are living. The team was composed of H.E. Alessandro Mariani, Ambassador of the European Union, H.E. Sylvain Berger, Ambassador of France, H.E. Filippo Scammaca, Ambassador of Italy, and Mr Mark Richardson, Head of the DFID Office. The team met with DRC refugees and familiarised with the situation on the ground. Ambassador Mariani stated that "the European Union wishes to congratulate Zambia for having welcomed so many refugees from DRC and for providing assistance to all of them in line with Zambia's long-standing tradition, which is exemplary to the entire world". He and his colleagues also expressed appreciation for the work done

7 by UNHCR Zambia and other UN agencies present on the ground, thus showing the effectiveness of the UN system working as one. whom the law does not foresee any specific provision. Visit to the Integrated Scaling Up Nutrition (I-SUN) project Over 15,000 refugees are currently being hosted in Zambia, and the number is expected to further increase should the current trend continue. Despite the efforts of the Government of Zambia to accommodate thousands of refugees in distress, there are evident needs of protection and assistance, including food, water, health care, and education. To this end, the European Union has decided to allocate 1 million Euro for DRC refugees and local communities. Ms Natalia Lazarewicz, the EU Geo Coordinator for Zambia in the European Commission - Development & Cooperation - EuropeAid, visited in Rufunsa District the Integrated Scaling Up Nutrition (I-SUN) project implemented by Village Water Zambia and Send a Cow to reduce maternal and child undernutrition in four districts. Prisoner's Rights are Human Rights Project Highlighting the work done by the European Union in Zambia in the area of human rights Development Aid from People to People (DAPP) Zambia in partnership with Panos Institute Southern Africa (PSAf) is currently implementing an EU-funded project "Prisoner's Rights are Human Rights". Patricia Pennetier from the EU Delegation visited the correctional facilities of Mkushi and Serenje to measure the impact of the project's activities. In an environment where people are deprived of everything: healthcare, food, education, childcare, decent sanitary conditions, she heard from inmates that the project brought a significant change in their daily life by improving hygiene, nutrition and water conditions, especially for women incarcerated with their children for She interacted with project beneficiaries in Bunda Bunda and Chinyunyu villages. At the Rural Health Centres she discussed with Community Volunteers and Health Workers about the training, bicycles and commodities they had received from the project to help them provide women of reproductive age and mothers of malnourished children with nutrition counselling and High Energy Protein Supplements. Then, farmers explained how they learned about establishing key hole homestead gardens, producing tea 7

8 manure, organic pesticides and compost in addition to growing high quality vegetable seeds. follower farmers adopting CA technologies. Mr Mumba remembers: "I started growing cotton but when prices collapsed I switched to rice. A dry spell damaged my rice field and I tried green gram. Since the project started, not only have they increased their production, but they have also diversified what they grow so that they can feed their children with more nutritious and diversified foods. One day, I received from a relative, three pods of pigeon peas. I managed to multiply them and got enough to plant one row. In 2014, I joined the CASU Project and learned everything about CA. This helped me to expand to 4.5 ha. In 2017, thanks to CASU and my knowledge of CA I had my record harvest ever. I sell to the Lusaka Tuesday market so that I can pay for my children's school fees". Conservation Agriculture Scaling Up Project - Chongwe On 24 February, Ms Natalia Lazarewicz, the EU Geo Coordinator for Zambia in the European Commission - Development & Cooperation - EuropeAid, visited the 11M Conservation Agriculture Scaling Up (CASU) Project in Chongwe. This project is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Zambia and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to promote conservation agriculture (CA) towards improved production and productivity for better rural livelihoods and enhanced food and nutrition security in 48 districts. She interacted with Mr Crispin Mumba who is one of the 19,000 Lead Farmers trained by the project to help 20 RAGWA-Nut Project Water, Hygiene & Sanitation Gracious Mandimu is an 18-year old girl from Muzambalika village in Sinazongwe district. She is also a member and the 8

9 secretary of the Lukomano Savings Group, one of the 10 groups formed in her village with the EU support from the RAGWA-Nut Project. Thanks to her contributions to the Savings Group, she could obtain a credit of 200 ZMW that she invested in a small-scale business. Now she recalls: I really appreciate the RAGWA-Nut Project. I joined the Savings Group because my parents had challenges with paying for my school fees. Thanks to the credit I got, my parents and I developed a small scale fish business and I could pay for my fees and for repaying the loan. I have never faced any problem to pay for school fees anymore. Thank you EU for bringing RAGWA-Nut to our village. 9