Stakeholders have expressed optimism that President Lazarus Chakwera will take advantage of his United Nations General Assembly (Unga) address today to plead for disaster support.
Chakwera is scheduled to address the world’s biggest stage at 3pm local time, which is 9am New York time.
Human Rights Defenders Coalition Chairperson Gift Trapence said the Unga is the right platform for the President to address issues that advance the country’s economic transformation agenda.
“Unga should be a space where the President shares Malawians’ aspirations, as espoused in the Malawi 2063 vision and Agenda 2063.
“It is also important for the President to look for support on food security, including support on infrastructure that was destroyed by Cyclone Freddy,” Trapence said.
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“The President should also meet stakeholders that have interest in investing in Malawi in the sectors of agriculture, mining and other related sectors that can grow the economy,” Trapence added.
Malawi Health Equity Network Executive Director George Jobe said Chakwera must utilise the platform by appealing to developed countries to support Universal Health Coverage.
He said Malawi— just like other developing countries— needs support to develop pharmaceutical products on its own.
Civil Society Network on Climate Change National Coordinator Julius Ng’oma said it would be prudent for Chakwera to address the issue of problems sparked by the Russia-Ukraine war.
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“The world’s economic situation is not rosy due to the Russia-Ukraine war, resulting in a worsening economic situation in Africa, including countries such as Malawi,” he said.
Ng’oma said the war was likely to aggravate climate change and global warming now and in the future.
“World leaders must be ambitious in tackling climate change by cutting down on emissions in the Global North and supporting countries like Malawi with adequate and predictable financing towards climate change adaptation and loss and damage. Support is needed for countries like Malawi to recover from recent Cyclone Freddy and to prepare for similar events in the future,” he said.
Civil Society Education Coalition Executive Director Benedicto Kondowe said Chakwera should ask for renewed global economic commitment towards public education as an important tool for fighting poverty.
According to Kondowe, the assembly must document and name and shame all global partners who committed unmet promises to developing countries but have not fulfilled their commitments.
“[The President must push for] UN and its agencies to ensure that big multinationals and global players/nations must own up to devastations and climate-related disasters in the global world through financial and material support to affected nations i.e. Malawi for Cyclone Freddy, Ida and even Covid,” Kondowe said.
Scotland-based economist Velli Nyirongo said Chakwera must highlight issues of food security and agriculture in his address.
“Given Malawi’s pronounced dependence on agriculture, the President is poised to engage in substantive deliberations pertaining to bolstering food security, elevating agricultural practices to international standards and proactively addressing the multifaceted challenges entailed in food production and equitable distribution. In this regard, technical assistant is crucial than aid and donations,” Nyirongo said.
Consumers Association of Malawi Executive Director John Kapito said his organisation has no expectations from Chakwera’s address at the Unga.
“Unga is a speech competition where leaders, especially those from poor economies, shake hands and take photos with leaders from powerful nations,” Kapito said.
