UN, GOVERNMENT OF LESOTHO AND PARTNERS GEAR UP FOR LESOTHO‘S FIRST PBF-FUNDED PROJECT

June 22, 2018

UNDP Head of Governance and Peacebuilding George Wachira presented the LNDSP proposal to development partners

The Lesotho National Dialogue and Stabilisation Project (LNDSP) conceived and designed to provide the necessary stimuli to a comprehensive National Reforms process, is finally coming to fruition.

Recently, a briefing meeting, convened by the UN Resident Representative, Mr Salvator Niyonzima, the Project’s implementing and Lesotho’s development partners was held in Maseru. The meeting discussed progress and budget necessary to support the LNDSP.

The Government, Lesotho’s development partners including SADC and Civil society were represented. This is the first UN Peace Building Fund project in Lesotho, and the UN Resident Representative, convened this briefing session to update the government, partners and important stakeholders on the progress so far.

The LNSDP aims to facilitate consensus building and catalyse a conducive environment for inclusive and comprehensive National Reforms.

It is anticipated that the project will lead to a more united Lesotho with a commitment to identify and implement a raft of proposed political and other reforms aimed at addressing the causes of recurrent crises and building of sustainable peace and stability in the country. 

Present at the meeting were the SADC/SAPMIL Head of Mission Ambassador Matias Matondo, EU Ambassador Christian Manahl, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Relations Honourable Lesego Mokgothi, and representatives of the Ministry of Defence and National Security, Lesotho Council of NGOs (LCN), Christian Council of Lesotho (CCL) and the Office of the Prime Minister/Cabinet, UNDP and the EU.

In his remarks, Mr. Niyonzima, pointed out the four key ingredients that will make this project successful; coordination, leadership, communication and collaboration. He noted that coordination will ensure that all parties and stakeholders operate at the level of knowledge and information and ensures that different partners support each other in achieving the overall project objective. He also emphasized that for coordination to be effective, communication must be consistent and unrestricted as well as vertical and horizontal, in a way that ensures that partners and stakeholders communicate their actions, activities and interventions to each other at different levels and layers of the project structure. The UN Resident Coordinator also emphasized the role of leadership in project success, noting that different partners and individuals must take certain level of responsibility towards the overall project outcome. Concluding his remarks, he directed all partners and stakeholders to collaborate with each other to avoid duplication of actions and interventions and to aim towards value based implementation.  

In his speech, the Honourable Minister Mokgothi expressed his satisfaction with the preparations. He noted his delight that after almost 5 months of consultation and planning the National Dialogue process will finally commence. He referred to the Prime Minister’s address to the Parliament, in which the Prime Minister officially informed the Parliament of the reform agenda in line with the Road Map and emphasised government readiness to support the project.

The briefing enabled partners to clarify and arrive at a consensus on their roles, responsibilities and expectations as well as the implementation plan of the proposed 18-month LNDSP to be launched on Monday 25June.