UN in Sierra Leone releases its Annual Results Report for 2022

The United Nations in Sierra Leone has recently released its 2022 Annual Results Report, outlining its progress in achieving the goals set out in the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. The report highlights significant achievements in the areas of sustainable agriculture, food and nutrition security, climate resilience, transformational governance, access to basic services, and the protection and empowerment of the most vulnerable.

Starting with sustainable agriculture, the UN said it contributed to the adoption of sustainable and climate-smart agricultural practices, which benefited over 10,000 farmers and over 11,000 community members, adding that it also supported the implementation of a new seasonal national school feeding menu, providing nutritious meals to 216,000 schoolchildren from 1,020 schools in 5 districts. 

The report also captured the role played by the UN in strengthening the capacity of the Government of Sierra Leone in geospatial technology to support the rollout of Voluntary Guidelines on Governance and Land Tenure.

In the area of transformational governance, the UN said it supported the enactment of several development-enabling bills, including the Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment Act. This legislation aims to increase the number of women in leadership roles in both private and public sectors, ensuring that at least 30% of leadership or decision-making roles are set aside for women.

In access to basic services, the report said that the UN played a role in increasing the gross enrolment rate for pre-primary education and the transition rate between primary and lower secondary education. The UN also supported efforts to reduce maternal mortality, resulting in a notable decline from 507 to 443. The UN also contributed to the penetration of clean and renewable energy in rural communities, reaching up to 26%.

In the area of protection and empowerment of the most vulnerable, the UN said it strengthened the capacity of the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs and the Rainbo Initiative to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and 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, and securing 53 convictions on cases of sexual penetration, rape, property deprivation, and domestic violence.

Despite these advances, the report also acknowledges the significant challenges that remain, particularly in the context of multiple and interconnected global crises. The UN renews its commitment to accompany Sierra Leone in its quest for sustainable development and ensure that no one is left behind in accessing basic services and economic opportunities. 

“The UN will work together with its 21 resident and non-resident agencies, funds and programmes, including the IFIs, to remain focused on its shared priorities of peace, good governance, gender equality, and environmental sustainability”, the report ended.

Read the full report here.