Zambia
A combined view of Zambia's UN General Assembly speeches, treaty commitments, and voting record.
The narrative paragraphs below are AI-generated syntheses of the data shown — the tables and figures themselves come directly from the underlying records, not from the AI.
Compare with another country →Speech history
Over fifteen years of General Assembly speeches, Zambia has maintained a consistently measured, institutionally-focused rhetorical stance centered on multilateral cooperation and UN reform. The country's multilateralism score has remained stable in the high 70s to mid-80s throughout the period, though with a notable dip to the low 60s in 2012–2013 when domestic achievements took greater prominence. Most striking is the recent uptick in emotional intensity (2022–2023 averaging 59) and concrete policy detail (rising to 68 in 2024), suggesting a shift toward more forceful and data-driven advocacy for international reform and domestic development priorities.
| Session | Multilateralism | Emotional intensity | Concreteness | Self-accountability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Very High | Low | High | Medium |
| 2007 | Very High | Low | Medium | Medium |
| 2009 | Very High | High | High | Medium |
| 2010 | High | Low | Medium | Medium |
| 2011 | High | Medium | High | Medium |
| 2012 | High | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| 2013 | Medium | Low | Medium | Medium |
| 2014 | High | Low | Medium | Medium |
| 2016 | High | Low | High | Medium |
| 2017 | Very High | Low | High | High |
| 2019 | High | Low | Medium | Medium |
| 2022 | High | Medium | High | High |
| 2023 | High | High | Medium | Medium |
| 2024 | Very High | Low | High | Medium |
| 2025 | Very High | Medium | High | Medium |
Treaty status
Full treaty record →Zambia demonstrates strong and nearly universal commitment to international legal frameworks, having ratified 23 of 24 tracked treaties across all thematic areas. Its engagement is particularly comprehensive in environmental governance (ten ratifications including the Paris Agreement, Montreal Protocol, and desertification convention) and human rights (five core conventions), alongside signature of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The single unsigned treaty—the nuclear prohibition instrument—suggests Zambia remains aligned with the broader Non-Proliferation framework rather than a complete ban regime.
Arms control & security
- Arms Trade TreatyRatified
- Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban TreatyRatified
- Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their DestructionRatified
- Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear WeaponsSigned, not ratified
Environment & climate
- Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their DisposalRatified
- Convention on Biological DiversityRatified
- Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone LayerRatified
- Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeRatified
- Minamata Convention on MercuryRatified
- Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone LayerRatified
- Paris AgreementRatified
- Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International TradeRatified
- Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic PollutantsRatified
- United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in AfricaRatified
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeRatified
Human rights
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or PunishmentRatified
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against WomenRatified
- Convention on the Rights of Persons with DisabilitiesRatified
- Convention on the Rights of the ChildRatified
- International Covenant on Civil and Political RightsRatified
International justice
- Rome Statute of the International Criminal CourtRatified
Trade & governance
- United Nations Convention against CorruptionRatified
- United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized CrimeRatified
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the SeaRatified
Voting record
Full voting record →Zambia's voting record shows overwhelming alignment with General Assembly consensus, supporting resolutions in 89% of votes and abstaining in just under 5% of cases. Its five notable dissents—spanning nuclear non-proliferation (1968), Security Council recommendations (1992), environmental modification (1976), counterterrorism (2011), and marine pollution (2024)—are scattered across decades and issue domains, suggesting principled but infrequent departures from majority positions rather than systematic opposition.
Notable dissents from consensus
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
1968-06-12 · voted N · 96% voted yes
Recommendation of the Security Council of 19 September 1992 : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
1992-09-22 · voted N · 95% voted yes
Oil slick on Lebanese shores : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
2024-12-19 · voted N · 95% voted yes
Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
1976-12-10 · voted N · 92% voted yes
Terrorist attacks on internationally protected persons : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
2011-11-18 · voted N · 92% voted yes
Human development
Full HDI record →Human Development Index: 0.595 (Medium), ranked #154 globally in 2023.
Combines life expectancy, education, and income into one comparable score, 0 to 1. Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025 — deterministic figures, not AI-generated.
1990–2023