Good Governance | UN Team Results

How the UN contributed to the SDGs under Strategic Priority 4

Good Governance

By 2024, vulnerable populations in disaster prone areas and biodiversity sensitive areas are resilient to shocks and climate change effects and benefit from natural resources management.

National statistical system improved with data collection, storage and retrieval improved

The UN supported the National Planning Commission (NPC) in the development of the 2024 National Voluntary Review Report (VNR), highlighting experiences, successes, lessons learnt and challenges during the implementation of programmes towards the achievement of the SDGs. In addition, 20 (9 female, 11 male) officials from the Erongo Regional Council were capacitated to produce a regional VNR report, and to use the data for monitoring SDG progress in the region. Through a partnership with MoEAC, the UN support ed the production of the 2024 EMIS report which strengthens the national capacity for effective planning, monitoring and evaluation.

In the interests of enhancing data governance and combating illicit financial flows (IFFs), UN strengthened institutions such as NamRA and the Bank of Namibia (BoN) in integrating advanced data systems, including upgrades to the Trade Verification System (TVS). Collaborative partnerships with the World Customs Organization (WCO), European Union (EU), Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), and Nam RA, led to the launch of the Electronic Advance Ruling (eAR) and Electronic Tariff (e-Tariff) systems. These innovations improved domestic resource mobilisation and trade efficiency, reducing costs, ensuring compliance, and fostering transparency.

UN supported the undertaking of the first digital Population and Housing Census, resulting in the production of real time preliminary, main and labour force reports. These reports ensured the availability of comprehensive demographic, social, and economic statistics, which are used to inform policies and programmes.

The UN supported the development of the Mortality and Causes of Death report using the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS). This report informed key policy interventions and strategies and strengthened the CRVS systems.

Additionally, the UN supported the Namibian government to evaluate the sustainability, inclusive, and effectiveness of tax policies in relation to the SDGs 7, 10, 16 & 17, through the Sustainable Development Taxation Framework Assessment (STF). This assessment brought together multiple government entities (Ministry of Mines and Energy, Gender and Child Welfare, Finance, NPC, BoN, IUM) to analyze existing tax policies, identify gaps, and explore opportunities for alignment with national development priorities. By engaging a broad range of stakeholders, the assessment provided a comprehensive diagnostic review, offering insights to policymakers on how to enhance tax governance and ensure that taxation contributes effectively to sustainable development.

The UN strengthened capacities of 16 Ministry of Finance representatives (9 female and 7 male) for evidence-based tax policy making. This initiative empowered officials with the skills to design and implement innovative, pro-poor tax policies aimed at poverty eradication. These policies targeted strengthening revenue systems, increasing domestic resource mobilization, and ensuring tax policies align with SDG objectives.

The UN supported the design of tools of the Namibia Household Income and Expenditure Survey (NHIES) by integrating key SDGs indicators to ensure that poverty is comprehensively measured and reported. NSA staff were also trained on the analysis multidimensional poverty, empowering the NSA to conduct child-specific multidimensional poverty assessments, once the NHIES data becomes available.

Governance capacity strengthened ensuring accountability, reporting and service delivery improvements

Through the Inclusive Governance Initiative “WeBelong Africa” programme, UN supported a framework proposal for the review of Namibia’s first National Human Rights Action Plan (NHRAP) and the roadmap for a Human Rights Violation Tracking Database, thereby enhancing Namibia’s ability to comprehensively monitor and address human rights violations.

Four journalists were supported to attend media engagement training, including raising awareness on key populations (KPs), and promoting accurate, sensitive, and informed reporting. This training fostered greater understanding and acceptance of the issues facing KPs in Namibia, and included the development of an action plan to strengthen collaboration between the media and Positive Vibes Trust. These efforts align with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR).

To strengthen capacity in taxation and data-driven decision-making, over 140 officials from NamRA, MME, and the MoF were capacitated in specialised audits, transfer pricing, and taxation of the extractive industry.

Additionally, the UN strengthened the capacity of 16 MoF representatives (9 female, 7 male), empowering them to design and implement innovative, pro-poor policies focused on poverty eradication. This resulted in strengthened revenue systems, increased domestic resources, and aligning tax policies with the SDGs.

More on Governance capacity strengthened

The UN strengthened the capacity of officials from Lifeline ChildLine and MGEPESW, to produce draft administrative data reports to ensure timely availability of child protection data.

To strengthen disability awareness and inclusion, numerous stakeholder engagements were conducted which resulted in substantial progress in the early identification and referral of children with disabilities. Organisations of people with disabilities were also involved in the development of NDP6 and UNSDCF 2025-2029, ensuring that their perspectives, needs, and priorities are fully planning integrated into national development.

As part of the regional UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD), the UN supported Namibia in developing and adopting guidelines on reasonable accommodation in TVET and employment to help combat stigma, discrimination, and the marginalisation of persons with disabilities.

The UN strengthened the capacity of officials from the Office of the Ombudsman on human rights investigation, monitoring, and reporting. This resulted in the drafting of new human rights protection legislation, and the review of the Office by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions Sub-Committee on Accreditation (GANHRI-SCA). This strengthened the mandate of the Ombudsman’s Office on human rights protection and international human rights mechanisms.
Under the framework of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL), UN facilitated dialogues between local and indigenous knowledge-holders, policymakers and experts to mainstream traditional sustainable management systems into national strategies and policies, which inform global climate science and policy processes. These dialogues resulted in the development and adoption of the National IDIL Action Plan for Namibia.

A stakeholder engagement for 110 delegates organised by the UN, in partnership with indigenous language community members, MGEPESW, and Palms for Life, facilitated knowledge exchange on indigenous initiatives at local, national, and regional levels. This resulted in the integration of indigenous knowledge and languages into scientific research and pol icy frameworks, while identifying strategies to align national priorities with the local implementation of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.
To strengthen Namibia’s ability to protect marine biodiversity and ecosystems in its Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), the UN in collaboration with the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) advanced work on the Ocean Literacy Toolkit by focusing on the indigenous knowledge component. The outcome is the introduction of ocean literacy for educators and alignment with the seven Ocean Literacy principles.