United Nations Namibia

02/11/2026

History is being made in Dakar. For the first time ever, the Youth Olympic Games are being hosted on the African continent.
As the Youth Olympic Games open, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk welcomes this milestone. He reminds us that sport can be a powerful force for human rights. It brings people together across borders, challenges discrimination and gives every young person, whoever they are, the chance to take part, compete and belong.
Watch his message and join us in celebrating sport as a champion of equality, inclusion and respect for all.

29/10/2026

🌍📚 Transforming Education in Africa: Beyond Technology, Towards Better Learning!

“Technology does not transform education. People do.”

This powerful message from UNESCO Representative to Namibia, Eunice Smith, set the tone for the UNESCO-Korea Funds-in-Trust (KFIT) Multi-Country Workshop on ICT Transforming Education in Africa, taking place in Windhoek from 27–29 October 2026.

Bringing together Namibia 🇳🇦, Tanzania 🇹🇿, Uganda 🇺🇬 and the Republic of Korea 🇰🇷, the workshop focuses on a critical question: **How do we ensure that investments in digital education translate into meaningful improvements in teaching and learning?**

UN Resident Coordinator Hopolang Phororo highlighted digital connectivity and education as powerful accelerators of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Linking these priorities to the Pact for the Future and Global Digital Compact, she emphasised the importance of bridging digital divides, strengthening digital skills and ensuring that no learner is left behind.

Namibia's Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, Hon. Dino Ballotti, challenged participants to look beyond the number of devices delivered and schools connected. The true measure of digital transformation, he stressed, lies in what changes inside classrooms: better teaching, improved learning outcomes and opportunities for underserved communities.

Representing the Republic of Korea, Dasul Ji highlighted tangible progress under the UNESCO-KFIT partnership, including multilingual digital learning resources for Namibia's primary schools, a teacher development platform with over 100,000 registered users in Tanzania, and strengthened e-learning systems in Uganda.

💡 The message is clear: Digital transformation is not simply about technology. It is about empowering teachers, equipping learners with future-ready skills, reducing inequalities and building education systems that deliver lasting results.

Through partnerships, innovation and shared learning, countries are working to ensure that technology becomes a bridge to opportunity rather than another source of inequality.

Together, we can advance inclusive, equitable and quality education for all.

23/10/2026

Three Generations. One National Journey. A Shared Future.

From dialogue to action, from shared voices to shared steps towards 2030!

UN Namibia marked with two days of reflection, inspiration and solidarity, reminding us that building a better future requires every generation to play its part.

At the Intergenerational Dialogue, Ambassador Jerobeam Shaanika, Executive Director at the Ministry of International Relations and Trade, representing the Government of Namibia, and UN Resident Coordinator Hopolang Phororo reinforced the importance of multilateral cooperation and turning development commitments into tangible results.

Panelists Uhuru Dempers, Vivette Rittmann and Wilma Iita brought perspectives spanning three generations, challenging us to confront inequality, unlock innovation, create opportunities for young people and ensure that Namibia's development leaves no one behind.

🎶 The inspiring performance by One Accord Gospel Group added a powerful cultural dimension to the occasion, celebrating unity and the strength of our shared humanity.

🚶🏽‍♀️🚶🏽‍♂️ The following morning, more than 100 UN staff and partners took that spirit of solidarity onto the streets of Windhoek for a 5.5 km UN Day Walk – Walking Towards 2030! The walk raised awareness and inspiring action to accelerate the in Namibia

The walk continued with breast and prostate cancer awareness talks, insights into Chinese medicine and acupuncture, and relaxing massages provided by visually impaired therapists from — putting health, wellbeing and disability inclusion into practice.

As we approach 2030, the message is clear: progress is not measured by commitments alone, but by the opportunities we create the lives we improve and the people we include.

Together, we walk towards a future of dignity, opportunity and sustainable development for all.

05/10/2026

Better housing starts with better evidence.

Across Namibia, 162 informal settlement profiles in Windhoek, Rundu, Oshakati, Keetmanshoop, Helao Nafidi, Rehoboth and Opuwo are helping build a clearer picture of how people live, where gaps in housing, basic services and infrastructure remain, and where investment is needed.

With support from UN-Habitat and UNITAC, this settlement-level data is helping strengthen evidence-based urban planning. Why does this matter? Because inclusive urban development depends on decisions grounded in evidence. Better data can help authorities identify priorities, target investment and plan around the realities communities experience.

This , under the theme “Adequate Housing for All,” Namibia’s informal settlement profiling work shows how better data can contribute to more inclusive, resilient and sustainable cities and communities, advancing .

As UN Secretary-General António Guterres reminds us, housing should be treated as a public good, with the goal of building a world where everyone has a place to call home.

🔗 Learn more about Namibia’s informal settlement profiling work:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/namibia-informal-settlements-profiles-ugcPost-7474077915631198208-i2AF/

01/10/2026

Regional integration matters when it creates opportunities people and businesses can access.

For Southern Africa, deeper regional integration can help countries build productive capacity, expand markets, strengthen regional value chains and create more opportunities for businesses and workers, particularly young people and women.

UN Resident Coordinator Hopolang Phororo held discussions with Dumisani Masilela, Executive Secretary of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), on how stronger collaboration between the UN system and SACU could help translate this potential into development results in Namibia.

Discussions focused on industrialization, export promotion and trade facilitation, with opportunities across sectors including automotive manufacturing, mineral beneficiation, agro-processing, pharmaceuticals and leather. They also considered how the can open wider markets while strengthening support for youth and women led MSMEs.

Potential areas of collaboration include leveraging UN technical expertise to support SACU’s industrialization and smart specialization priorities, strengthening regional approaches to skills development, and improving coordination so that available expertise and resources can deliver greater impact.

As a next step, SACU, the UN Country Team and relevant UN entities will further explore areas of collaboration and coordination.

Regional integration is ultimately not only about moving goods across borders. It is about building productive economies, expanding opportunity and enabling more people and businesses to participate in and benefit from growth.

27/09/2026

The United Nations Resident Coordinator, Hopolang Phororo, has hailed the launch of Namibia's Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) as a critical milestone in the country's ongoing climate change response.

25/09/2026

Towards a Climate-Resilient Namibia: Advancing Climate Solutions through Namibia’s NDC 3.0

What does a national climate commitment mean for people facing drought, pressure on water and food systems, vulnerable livelihoods and an increasingly uncertain climate?

Namibia’s Third Nationally Determined Contribution or NDC 3.0, is about answering that question through action. It connects climate ambition with the development choices Namibia makes about water, food security, energy, infrastructure, jobs, investment and the resilience of communities.

Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism Hon. Indileni Daniel put implementation at the centre: climate commitments must translate into water security, productive farms and rangelands, early warning systems, resilient infrastructure, clean energy, healthy ecosystems and communities better prepared for climate shocks.

UNDP Resident Representative Amanda Serumaga connected that ambition to investment and development. NDC 3.0 provides a framework for turning climate priorities into investable opportunities, stronger resilience and practical development results. leads UN expertise and support from diverse UN agencies to the NDC process in key priority areas.

Reflecting on the launch, UN Resident Coordinator Hopolang Phororo highlighted the wider significance: NDC 3.0 reflects Namibia’s commitment to sustainable development, but implementation requires continued partnership. Climate resilience cannot sit with any one institution. It must reach across government, society, communities and the private sector.

And Namibia’s ambition is part of a much bigger global imperative.

At the 81st United Nations General Assembly, UN Secretary-General António Guterres underscored the need to match the growing urgency of the climate crisis with decisive action, including enhanced adaptation, increased financing and the systematic integration of resilience into policies, budgets and infrastructure decisions.

For Namibia, the question now is what NDC 3.0 can unlock.

Can climate action strengthen water and food security? Can it mobilise investment and accelerate cleaner energy? Can it protect livelihoods and ecosystems? Can it build infrastructure and communities that are more resilient to the next climate shock?

That is where Namibia’s NDC 3.0 connects with the broader UN agenda: turning climate commitments into sustainable development that people can see and experience.

From commitment to implementation. From climate ambition to resilient development.

24/09/2026

Education. Skills. Ambition. But where are the opportunities?

For many young Namibians, the journey from education to decent work remains challenging.

UN Namibia youth representatives joined NBC’s Situation KriTikal to bring young people’s voices into the conversation, sharing the barriers they face and what needs to change to create meaningful pathways to decent work.

The discussion forms part of the UN–SABA partnership, which is helping to strengthen public dialogue around youth employment and SDG 8.

📺 Watch the full discussion here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkWyQubV_t0

22/09/2026

21/09/2026

Heritage is not simply about where we come from. It is also part of what we carry into the future.

Namibia’s languages carry stories and knowledge. Its food, clothing, music and traditions carry memory and identity. When these are passed from one generation to another, heritage remains alive. When they disappear, we risk losing not only traditions, but also important connections between generations.

The message from UN Namibia is clear: safeguarding heritage is part of sustainable development. Protecting languages, cultural knowledge and traditions helps strengthen identity, inclusion and social cohesion, while ensuring that development values the history and knowledge of the people and communities it serves.

That message came alive at UN House on Friday as colleagues from across the UN family shared their cultures through traditional attire, food, music, stories and traditions. We learned from one another, discovered more about each other’s cultures and, importantly, had plenty of fun along the way. 🇳🇦

But behind the celebration is an important responsibility. Cultural knowledge does not pass automatically from one generation to the next. It has to be shared, practised, documented and valued.
This is particularly important for language. When languages disappear, stories and knowledge carried through them can disappear too, widening the distance between children, parents and grandparents.

Development should move generations forward without disconnecting them from what came before.

That is why preserving Namibia’s heritage for future generations matters to all of us.