On 5 August 2026, I had the opportunity to attend a United Nations consultation on the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2027–2031, representing the Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana. The consultation brought together stakeholders from government, civil society, non-governmental organisations, and other sectors to discuss how the United Nations system and national stakeholders can work together more effectively to support Botswana’s development priorities. For me, the experience was particularly interesting because it allowed me to look beyond Wikimedia as an open knowledge movement and think about how the work we do can connect with broader national development conversations.
Understanding the Cooperation Framework
One of the first things I learned was that the Cooperation Framework is essentially a plan for how the United Nations and Botswana can work together over the coming years. The discussions connected the framework to Botswana’s wider development priorities, including National Development Plan 12, Vision 2036, and the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme.
Two broad areas were highlighted for the framework:
- Driving inclusive, sustainable and resilient economic diversification.
- Strengthening institutional capacity and accountability through improved public-sector performance and policy implementation.
What stood out to me was the emphasis on collaboration. Development cannot be achieved by one organisation working alone. Government, civil society, young people, development organisations, communities and the private sector all have different roles to play.This reminded me of something we experience regularly in the Wikimedia movement: knowledge grows when people contribute their different skills, experiences and perspectives.
Leaving No One Behind
Another theme that stood out to me was the principle of Leaving No One Behind.
The discussions made me think about who gets represented in the information we create and who may still be missing.This is where I could immediately see a connection with Wikimedia’s work.
Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons provide platforms where information about people, places, cultures, languages and history can be documented and made freely accessible. Another thing is that we have initiatives like Black Lunch Table, Africa Baraza, Art and Feminism and more that continue to ensure that our voices are heard and despite of barriers and challenges there’s change, there is impact.
In Botswana, there are still many areas where local knowledge can be better represented online. This includes information about communities, cultural heritage, traditional knowledge, local places, people, languages and institutions. As a Wikimedian, I have seen how campaigns and community projects can help address some of these gaps by giving people the opportunity to document and share knowledge about their own communities. I do still believe there is still more work to be done in Botswana.
Learning Through Group Work
As the session was consultation based, what better way to get information through group work. We were divided into groups, and I was part of one of the groups where I took notes during the discussion. I also had the opportunity to present some of our findings alongside the group’s chairperson.
I enjoyed the discussion after the presentations part of the workshop because people came from different backgrounds, yet everyone was trying to answer the same question: What can we do differently or better to contribute to Botswana’s development? The discussions reminded me of my university experience studying project management. We learned about processes, methodologies and how different stages of a project need to connect in order to achieve a desired outcome.Seeing a national development framework being discussed in practice gave those concepts a completely different meaning.
What I Took Away
Collaboration is very important and I am reminded day by day or when I am in a room of individuals that are filled with great ideas, amazing innovations that despite all those great ideas it takes a village. In life we must work together to achieve something great and in Wikimedia we have an end goal which is free knowledge to all. Let us work together to ensure that we achieve that. The consultation reminded me of how proud I am to be a Wikimedia. A special thank you to Wikimedia Botswana for giving me the opportunity represent us at the consultation.
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