ARUSHA: TANZANIA and the United Nations (UN) are preparing to reset their development partnership, with a new cooperation framework set to align UN support with the country’s ambitious Dira 2050 agenda.
The high stakes review will kick off in the first quarter of 2027, well ahead of the expiry of the current framework in 2028, putting Tanzania’s long-term development priorities at the heart of the next phase of UN assistance.
UN Resident Coordinator in Tanzania, Ms Susan Ngongi, said discussions on the next UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework would begin early next year.
She said the process would involve Parliament and the Zanzibar House of Representatives, ensuring that the country’s key legislative institutions have a role in shaping the priorities and direction of future Tanzania-UN cooperation.
Ms Ngongi said the review was intended to ensure that UN support remains closely aligned with Tanzania’s national development priorities and contributes to the implementation of Dira 2050.
The new framework will replace the existing cooperation arrangement when it expires in 2028, providing a new roadmap for UN engagement and development support in Tanzania.
“We are going to start looking at our cooperation framework from the first quarter of next year, 2027 and start discussing the next cooperation framework that will come after 2028,” Ms Ngongi said.
She said she had already started discussions with the Speakers of the National Assembly and Zanzibar House of Representatives on how the UN could strengthen its support to Parliament in the context of Dira 2050.
She stated this yesterday in Arusha at the ongoing Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)’s 153rd Assembly during the panel discussion on the UN country team in Tanzania as the reflection of a reformed UN system.
“I see myself as the conductor of an orchestra, with the various agencies playing different instruments that must come together in harmony to produce the right music,” she said.
She said her another important responsibility was identifying gaps in expertise and facilitating the provision of specialised support from within the wider UN system whenever the government required assistance that was not available within the UN country team.
Ms Ngongi said the UN has also been working with both the National Assembly and Zanzibar House of Representatives to strengthen their oversight functions.
She said the support included working with parliamentary committees to scrutinise bills, the national budget and audit reports.
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Ms Ngongi cited HIV financing as one example of how Parliament could play an important role in ensuring better stewardship of development resources during periods of reduced external funding.
She said the reduction in USAID support in 2025 resulted in a significant decline in funding for HIV/AIDS and health programmes, creating pressure for the government to identify alternative sources of financing.
She said the government responded by seeking to generate more domestic resources through various levies, including those imposed on sectors such as mining and alcohol.
According to Ms Ngongi, projections were made on how much revenue could be generated from the measures and directed towards HIV/AIDS interventions.
She said the experience demonstrated the importance of parliamentary oversight in ensuring that resources allocated for development were properly managed and used effectively.
“This shows the role that Parliament can play in these very difficult times of reduced development funding, for better stewardship of the money that is going towards development,” she said.
Ms Ngongi said the UN would continue working closely with Parliament and other national institutions as Tanzania implements Dira 2050, with the aim of ensuring that development efforts translate into improved living conditions and stronger institutions.
