Chakwera Commits to Make Malawi Self-Reliant

By Lily Kampani- Mana

President Lazarus Chakwera has expressed his desire to see Malawi not just surviving but thriving through self-reliance and resilience.

Chakwera made the committment at Bingu international Conference Centre in Lilongwe on Tuesday whenUnited Nations (UN) in Malawi conducted an inclusive dialogue of various stakeholders and the youth to tackle issues such as climate change, justice and human rights and gender equality to find solutions by the time the UN turns 100 years in 2045.

The dialogue sessions was facilitated under the theme 'The Future Malawi Wants: Shaping Our Future Together.'

President Chakwera and Vice-President Saulos Chilima participated in the global cooperation for development session.

"This national dialogue on the UN75 initiative in Malawi has been such a refreshing breather from the despair and pessimism that so easily entangle us when we look at the challenges we face."

"I see this as an extension of the national dialogue already being facilitated by the National Planning Council (NPC) to formulate the Malawi National Transformation 2063, with our collective vision of the country, we want by the time Malawi turns 100", he stated.

Chakwera emphasized the importance of capacity and resilience building which have been exposed and highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic including areas like border control and healthcare systems.

"Building the capacity and resilience of our people. Our institutions and our systems is the critical need of our nation."

"I believe in the abilities of Malawians to solve Malawi's problems and under my administration, those development partners who want to help build this capacity further will have relevance," Chakwera explained.

UN Resident Coordinator, Maria Jose Torres described Malawi as occupying a special place in the United Nations because of its unique contributions on promoting global cooperation and peace.

"Achieving the Malawi, we want by 2045 begins with achieving the sustainable Development Goals by 2030 which is the path to the future we want to help us to recover better from Covid-19 and its socio-economic impact," she said.

The UN75 global dialogue initiative was launched in January 2020.

This article originally appeared on Nyasa Times

Photo: The Guardian

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