Zambia has voted in favour of the moratorium on the use of the Death Penalty at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The resolution was adopted, on 17th December, 2024, with 130 Member States voting in favour, 32 against, and 22 abstentions. Zambia voted in favour for the first time since the resolution’s inception in 2007, having abstained in all nine previous votes. Minister of Justice, Hon. Princess Kasune, M.P, voted on behalf of Zambia.
Hon. Kasune said since 23rd December 2022, when President Hakainde Hichilema signed into law the abolition of the Death Penalty in Zambia, the policy direction had been in support of the Human Right to life. “Because of the visionary leadership of H.E. President Hichilema and the New Dawn Government, we have a clear policy on the Human Right to life. We are now a pro-life country. This being the case we shall be voting for the moratorium even in future,” the Minister said.
She explained that Zambia’s vote shall always be informed by the agreed text of the moratorium in the Third Committee of the UN. The Minister noted that President Hichilema has always emphasised the need for the country to meaningfully and methodically adopt international standards in alignment with the pro-life agenda. President Hichilema’s resolve to promote the Human Right to life for all is partly due to his own experience of how laws that attract the death penalty were abused against him. Instead of abusing the same laws, President Hichilema and the New Dawn Government has amended them to promote life and not retribution.
The agreed text of the moratorium was first settled in the Third Committee of the UN on 18th November, 2024, before it was finally voted on in the plenary session of the UN General Assembly.
The resolution harmonises with Zambia’s updated legal framework, including the Constitution’s Bill of Rights, The Children’s Code Act, the amended Penal Code, and the Defence (Amendment) Act. Hon. Kasune noted that this alignment between international commitments and domestic legislation demonstrates Zambia’s approach to adopting international human rights standards.
The Minister said it was a good human rights record for Zambia to vote for the moratorium for the first time in its history. She expressed gratitude to the President for the direction and clear policy on human rights policy under the New Dawn Government. This landmark decision not only strengthens Zambia’s position as a guardian of human rights but also enhances its standing in the international community as a progressive African nation committed to protecting the fundamental right to life.
Hon. Kasune said the respect for human rights, in particular, the right to life is an additional reason tourists will choose Zambia as a destination. The Hon Minister encouraged all citizens to take an interest and find a copy of the resolution on the Ministry of Justice website to appreciate how the country has domesticated the 10th resolution on the moratorium.