Government says the the country has made major strides in narrowing key developmental inequalities.
Speaking at the at the commemoration of 25 years of the international Conference on Population Development (ICPD) UNFPA’s 50th Anniversary and LUAUNCH OF THE 2019 State of the World Population Report said the gender parity index for secondary education rose from 0.89 in 2010 to 1.02 in 2017.
Mr Chiteme says the government has also enacted a number of laws and policies to promote human rights, including the gender equity and equality act of 2015 and the anti-gender-based violence act of 2011.
The Minister adds that government has made significant progress in improving the health of its citizenry through the promotion of the primary health care approach.
Mr Chiteme said government has also increase in the use of modern contraceptives from 9 percent in 1992 to 45 percent in 2014.
“a decline in maternal mortality rates from 649 in 1996 to 398 in 2014; as well as a reduction in infant mortality rate by more than half, from 107 in 1992 to 45 per 100,000 live births in 2014”, he said.
He said government embarked on massive infrastructure development such as construction of roads, schools, health facilities in rural and urban areas to respond to the high rural-urban drift.
Mr Chiteme said the percentage of households with access to a health facility for instance, increased, from 97.3 percent to 98.7 percent in urban areas and 94.9 percent to 96.0 percent in rural areas between 2010 and 2015 respectively.
The minister further says the seventh national development plan provides for the integration of migration issues by advocating for migration reforms, policies and legislative frameworks.
“for example, the ministry of home affairs in collaboration with united nations high commissioner for refuges introduced the biometric registration, making it easier to track and manage asylum caseloads”, he said

He says the government conducted a demographic dividend study in 2014 to inform policy and planning as envisaged in the vision 2030 so as to harness the demographic dividend.
He says the country also generated an in-depth sub-national analysis report taking into account the demographic variables, trends and shortfalls across a wide range of development indicators that are critical to achieving a demographic dividend.
Mr Chiteme says the evidence from the demographic dividend study and the in-depth sub-national analysis reports informed the development and formulation of the seventh national development plan. in addition, the government is currently revising the 2007 national population policy so as to take into account emerging population related issues.
He adds that to effectively implement the national statistical data system (nsds), the government repealed the 1964 statistics act and replaced it with the 2018 statistical act that is in accordance with international statistical guidelines.
The Minister reaffirmed that government remains committed to strengthening the national system of statistics, and to improve the quality and scope of statistical data for evidence-based planning, policy formulation, prioritization, implementation and effective program monitoring and evaluation.
And speaking at the same event UNFPA Country Representative Ms Gift Malunga says her organization will continue to be Zambia’s partner in the full achievement of the programme of action, on which the success of the 2030 agender depends.