The UN Celebrates UN Day with a Rural Community

The United Nations Development System in Eswatini, led by the United Nations Communications Group (UNCG) and the Staff Federation, celebrated UN Day on Saturday, 24 October 2020, with the community of Ntuthwakazi at Lubulini in the Lubombo Region.

A group of about 20 staff members, accompanied by the UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Nathalie Ndongo-Seh and the UNCG Chairperson, Ms. Margaret Tembe-Thwala, distributed food hampers, facemasks, sanitary pads and other goodies to the chiefdom authorities of Ntuthwakazi. UNFPA also donated packs for young girls which included sanitary pads, sanitisers and facemasks in a carrybag. Head of Office for the International Organisation for Migration, Mr. Jeremias Mendes also attended the community outreach.

Minister of Economic Planning and Development, Dr. Tambo Gina, who is a Member of Parliament for Lubulini Inkhundla, welcomed the UN team to the community.

During the short presentation ceremony held under a tree near the chiefdom kraal, the UN Resident Coordinator told the community that the UN was eager to work directly with communities to alleviate poverty and help them contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. She noted that this was a her first engagement with a community ever since her arrival in Eswatini about 2 years ago. “I want to assure that we will come back and design a programme that will help the community address its development issues,” she said. “Today I would like to hear from you directly what your issues are, what your fears are and I will take this up with my teams to see what can be done.”

Dr. Gina expressed appreciation that the UN had chosen his community to celebrate UN Day. He noted that he already has a good working relationship with the UN, through the Resident Coordinator, and that this engagement would strengthen the relationship. “It is pleasing that we are engaging today in a less formal way in my community and this will definitely enhance the way we work in Mbabane,” he said.

At the end of the presentation, the UN team spent some time engaging informally with the community while distributing masks and other UN75 promotional materials.

In 2021, IOM is preparing to introduce an integrated programme to include Sexual Reproductive Health and HIV prevention for young girls in the community.