Zambia and Brazil have committed to deepening bilateral cooperation in the areas of social protection, poverty reduction, and inclusive development under the framework of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty.
During a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD2) in Doha, Minister of Community Development and Social Services, Ms. Doreen Mwamba, met with Brazil’s Minister of Social Development and Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger, Mr Wellington Dias, who also serves as Co-Chair of the Global Alliance.
Ms. Mwamba commended Brazil’s leadership in advancing South–South cooperation and in championing country-led strategies that put local priorities at the centre of global development efforts.
She reaffirmed Zambia’s strong support for the objectives of the Alliance and commitment to serve as an active pilot country in operationalizing its vision.
The Minister further said the Zambian government is scaling up its Social Cash Transfer (SCT) Programme from the current 1.3 million to 2 million households by 2030, with a focus on linking cash assistance to productive inclusion, resilience building, and local enterprise development.
“This integrated approach aims to shift households from consumption to production, from vulnerability to resilience, and ultimately from dependence to self-reliance,” she stated.
The meeting identified key areas of cooperation between the two countries, including:
South–South knowledge exchange, with Zambia drawing lessons from Brazil’s Bolsa Família and Brasil Sem Fome programmes;
Food and nutrition security, through collaboration within Brazil’s Zero Hunger framework to strengthen rural agriculture and market linkages;
Productive inclusion, particularly for women and youth, through cooperative and social enterprise development; and
Data and social registry development, focusing on enhancing Zambia’s Integrated Social Protection Information System (ZISPIS) using Brazil’s Cadastro Único model.
Ms. Mwamba therefore emphasized that Zambia values Brazil’s vast experience in integrating social protection with food security and productive inclusion.
“We look forward to deepening our collaboration under the Global Alliance to deliver practical, scalable solutions that lift people out of poverty and hunger,” she said.
