caleb m fundanga : equal rights, equal opportunities – progress for all opening remarks by dr caleb m fundanga, governor of the bank of zambia, at the official launch of the financial institutions ’ exhibition and workshop in commemoration of international women ’ s day 2010, lusaka, 5 march 2010. * * * the deputy permanent secretary, gender and women in development, ms christine kalamwina ; the international labour organisation country director, mr gerry finnegan ; the deputy governor – administration, bank of zambia, dr tukiya kankasa - mabula ; chief executives and representatives of exhibiting institutions ; heads of non governmental organisations ; distinguished invited guests ; members of the press ; ladies and gentlemen it is my honour and privilege to participate in the launch of this important exhibition by financial institutions in commemoration of the international women ’ s day for 2010 under the global theme “ equal rights, equal opportunities : progress for all. ” ladies and gentlemen, as you may be aware, the international year for women was declared by the united nations in 1975. since then many countries world over celebrate international women ’ s day to recognise the achievements of women without regard to national, ethnic, cultural, economic or political divisions. international women ’ s day is an occasion to look back on past struggles and accomplishments but even more importantly a time to look ahead to untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women. each year on this special day, hundreds of international women ’ s day events occur all around the world. the events range from small random informal gatherings to large - scale highly organised events to celebrate women ’ s advancement while highlighting the need for continued vigilance and action. a good number of governments around the world, have made commitments to promote gender equality, by among other things, taking initiatives to integrate gender perspectives into national budgets or development plans in order to reflect the differentiated needs of women and men. zambia is no exception. in zambia, it is recognised that the creation of the ministry of gender and women in development, is a deliberate effort by the government to ensure that the needs of women are addressed. through the ministry we are able to recognise the strides that have been made by women in national development and we look ahead to the challenges that are before us as we strive to achieve our goal of gender equality. in addition, zambia is a signatory to the sadc declaration on gender and development. this declaration calls for the equal representation of women and men in the decision making process of member states at all

caleb m fundanga : the role of professionals in economic development remarks by mr caleb m fundanga, governor of the bank of zambia, at the annual national development conference of the zambia institute for policy analysis and research, lusaka, 28 november 2009. * * * hon minister of finance and national planning, dr situmbeko musokotwane the permanent secretary budget and economic affairs, mr emmanuel ngulube zipar executive director a€ “ mwilola imakando distinguished guests, members of the press ladies and gentlemen, it is indeed a pleasure for me to be invited to this very important gathering to give a scope of the conference. the central theme of my address today is the role that professionals are expected to play in economic development in general and in the provision of public goods and services in particular. you will agree with me that the levels of professionalism in our country has somewhat declined in the recent past. nowadays, it is not rare to hear of corrupt practices and unethical conduct in the both the public and private sectors. this has no doubt compromised professionalism. ladies and gentlemen, as you are aware, professionalism entails possessing specialist knowledge and following a standard of conduct based on ethics that govern the use of this knowledge when providing a service to the public. professionals provide essential and valuable services to any society. it is for this reason that the public depend on them more and more as economies advance. therefore, professional status is an implied social contract to provide a service over and above normal duties. in this regard, a professional is viewed as one who carries additional moral responsibility and is honest, objective, impartial and with high integrity. mr chairman, the importance of a professional civil service in zambia cannot be overemphasised. if we are to succeed economically as well as socially, we need to demonstrate appropriate levels of professionalism. a professional is open to views of others and are objective and their decisions are made in the best interest of the country. as professional in zambia we need to evaluate our performance and aim to constantly improve. we need to see ourselves as part of the solution rather than the problem. further, it is important to realise that civil service is a key component of government as it supports the formulation and implementation of government policies and service delivery to the public. a professional civil service also ensures that government objectives and goals are achieved in an effective and efficient manner thus assuring confidence to the public. in order to carry out their duties, professionals need