Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), an international peace non-governmental organisation, to strengthen institutional support to maintain peace efforts at national level.
The trilateral MOU was signed with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLRRD), and the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security (MOHAIS), with the three institutions agreeing to strengthen support at the Lusaka city level and to gradually expand discussions to the national level.
The agreement formalizes a cooperative structure linking local governance-based peace policies with the national internal stability framework.
Through this MOU, government and HWPL aim to institutionalize peace at the regional level, by connecting local peace practices with administrative and security systems.
With MOHAIS being the key government ministry responsible for internal security and public order, overseeing policing, correctional services, and community safety structures, peace programs under this agreement will be implemented not merely as civic campaigns, but within a framework aligned with public safety and social stability policies.
On the other hand, MLGRD will support local-level implementation through Zambia’s decentralized governance system, while HWPL will serve as the lead coordinating organization for the Legislate Peace initiative.
Accordingly, peace education, civic awareness promotion, youth and women’s participation, interfaith harmony, and community-based peace campaigns will be advanced in coordination with government administrative structures.
This trilateral agreement represents the integration of these field-based initiatives into an institutional and administrative framework.
Over the past year, Lusaka has seen various peace-oriented initiatives, including the “Clean Up, Crime Down” environmental campaign, the establishment of Peace Street, and the declaration to introduce peace education into public education in the country.
Environmental cleanup efforts jointly carried out by youth leaders, community members, and the Lusaka City Council have developed into a practical model linking urban improvement with community safety and crime prevention.
With the realisation that sustainable peace is achieved within systems and culture, this trilateral MOU establishes a formal cooperative framework linking local peace initiatives with national administrative and security systems.
It is being recognized as a policy-based peace model with relevance to broader discussions across neighboring countries and the African region.
