Zambia Mission – New York

Permanent Mission

Permanent Mission of Zambia

The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Zambia to the United Nations (UN) in New York is responsible for representing Zambia in the governance structures of the UN at the UN Headquarters and implementing the country’s foreign policy within the UN. Its primary activity involves engaging in dialogue on global matters at the UN to articulate and defend the country’s interests and making recommendations to the Zambian authorities. The Permanent Mission is also responsible for conducting consular affairs within the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

The Permanent Mission has a total staff complement of 25 officers, twelve of which are diplomats and are led by the Permanent Representative (PR)/Ambassador, who is the Head of Mission and oversees all units in the Mission. As Plenipotentiary, the PR speaks on behalf of the President of Zambia at the UN. The PR is the political lead for Zambia on matters considered at the UN and is responsible for casting votes and leading resolutions on behalf of the country. As the Mission’s lead diplomat, the PR is responsible for engaging with other PRs accredited to the UN. The PR, with the support of the Counsellor – Political, is also responsible for consular and diaspora affairs within the tri-state area.

The PR is deputized by the Deputy Permanent Representative (DPR) and is supported by the Second Secretary – Personal Assistant, who manages the Ambassador’s front office. The DPR oversees the general management of the Mission, including, administrative and human resource matters, communication, accounts, press and public relations. The DPR also undertakes responsibilities on behalf of the PR, including in delivering statements at the UN, engaging with diplomats and UN staff, attending to engagements of the General Assembly (GA) and Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)as well as casting votes on behalf of the Mission. The DPR also leads in the preparation of the periodic reports and is responsible for conducting quality checks on committee documents, statements and other correspondence presented to the PR.  

 

The activities of the Permanent Mission are conducted by nine desks.

  1. The Office of the Military Advisor (MILAD) is responsible for matters covered by the First Committee, including disarmament, non-proliferation and peacekeeping operations. The MILAD also liaises with the military division of the UN Secretariat’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations.
  2. The Economic Development Desk handles matters under the Second Committee, including developmental and environmental issues. This Desk is covered by the Counsellor – Economic, who is also responsible for engaging private sector actors in the Greater New York area as part of the country’s investment promotion drive.
  3. The Political Desk is responsible for covering engagements in the Fourth Committee and the Security Council. This Desk is covered by the Counsellor – Political, who is also tasked with the responsibility of consular, protocol and security matters for the Mission.
  4. The Political and Administration Desk is mainly responsible for overseeing day-to-day administrative matters at the Mission, including management of Mission’s assets, transport logistics, and procurement. This Desk is covered by the Counsellor – Political and Administration.
  5. The Social Desk handles matters in the Third Committee, including social, human rights, humanitarian, and cultural affairs. This Desk is covered by the First Secretary – Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Affairs.
  6. The Accounts and Finance Desk handles matters in the Fifth Committee, including negotiations concerning the UN budget. This Desk is covered by the First Secretary – Accounts, who is responsible for all the financial and accounting issues in the administration of the Mission.
  7. The Legal Desk is responsible for matters relating to the Sixth Committee and acts as the legal advisor to the Permanent Mission. This Desk is covered by the First Secretary – Legal, who also stands as the Mission’s Elections Officer.
  8. The Press and Public Relations Desk is responsible for informing the public about the activities of the Mission at the UN. This Desk is also responsible for covering engagements at the GA and is managed by the First Secretary – Press and Public Relations.
  9. The Communications Desk oversees all correspondence into and from the Mission and handles all ICT related matters for the Mission. This Desk is also responsible for coordinating with the protocol office of the Secretariat as back-up and supports the Political Desk on protocol matters relating to visiting officials from Zambia. This Desk is covered by the Second Secretary – Communications, who also stands as the lead on digital policy.