The UNCT has on the 1st April 2023,released its 2022 Annual report on Sierra Leone.

The report captured notable results gained together with the Government of Sierra Leone and UNCT’s key partners.

The UNCT continues to implement the UNSDCF with significant achievements in 2022.The impact of the UNCT is seen across the four strategic priorities of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. These include:

“Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Security, and Climate Resilience: The UNCT contributed to strengthening systems and wider adoption of sustainable and climate-smart agricultural, fishery, and agri-business practices. This led to 10,005 farmers, including 395 boys and 370 girls, and 11,173 community members benefitting from improved access to information, inputs, technology, financial services, and linkages to markets. Further, 216,000 schoolchildren from 1,020 schools in 5 districts were provided with nutritious and diverse fortified meals through the implementation of a new seasonal national school feeding menu. UN also took the lead in strengthening the capacity of the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) on geospatial technology that assisted in the rollout of Voluntary Guidelines on Governance and Land Tenure in Sierra Leone.

Transformational Governance: The UN contributed to the enactment of several development-enabling bills, including the recent signing into law of the Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act, which seeks to increase the number of women in positions of power in both private and public sectors, ensuring that at least 30% of leadership or decision-making roles are set aside for women.

Access to Basic Services: During the year 2022, the gross enrolment rate for pre-primary education rose from 20.6% (in 2021) to 24% and doubled compared to a baseline of 12.6%. The transition rate between primary and lower secondary education increased from 97.6% to 120%, and primary gross completion rate increased from 79.6% to 95%, showing significant progress towards the goal of universal basic education. Additionally, UN support contributed to the notable decline recorded in the country’s maternal mortality ratio from 507 to 443. Further, clean and renewable energy penetration, up to 26% in rural communities, has been achieved.

Protection and Empowerment of the Most Vulnerable: Through collective efforts in pursuit of the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, the UNCT strengthened the capacity of the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs (MOGCA) and the Rainbow Initiative to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and to eliminate harmful practices. Through this support, 336 cases were reported, and 2,240 received a comprehensive package of GBV response services in the 8 One-Stop care centres. The UN supported the SGBV response – seeing 44 sexual penetration cases committed to High Court. Also, 53 convictions were secured on cases of sexual penetration, rape, property deprivation, and domestic violence.”

The report disclosed that even with these advances, significant challenges remain in the context of the impact of multiple and interconnected global crises. According to its findings, efforts would have to be redoubled to support Sierra Leone to address longstanding weaknesses in the fundamentals of the national economy, build resilience to natural hazards and external shocks, and to provide greater economic opportunities and empowerment for all Sierra Leoneans, regardless of region, gender, generation, or disability status.

Babatunde Ahonsi, United Nations Resident Coordinator Sierra Leone, stated in the report that as a UNCT with 21 resident and non-resident agencies, funds and programmes, including the IFIs, they renew their commitment to faithfully accompany Sierra Leone in its quest for sustainable development as they present the ‘One UN’ 2022 Annual Results Report.

In doing so, he said they would ensure that they work together in delivering as one, remain focused on their shared priorities of peace, good governance, gender equality, environmental sustainability, and ensure that no one is left behind in accessing basic services and economic opportunities.

He concluded by thanking the Government of Sierra Leone, IFIs, development partners, civil society groups, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, other public sector institutions, the academia, the mass media, and the people of Sierra Leone for their contributions to the efforts of the UNCT in 2022 and for helping them to progress the 2030 Agenda in Sierra Leone, adding that through productive collaborations, they advanced the objectives of the UNSDCF.