Malawi already preparing for post MDGs period

With the deadline for implementing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) coming next year, the Malawi government is already looking ahead, Presidential Chief Economic Advisor, Collins Magalasi said on Monday in New York.

Currently Malawi  is mobilizing resources to be used for dealing with development goals where success was not registered.

Magalasi said that President Peter Mutharika is holding meetings or delegating some of his ministers or advisors to attend some of them whose aim is raise financial assistance.

Magalasi: We are already looking ahead
Magalasi: We are already looking ahead

“It is important to note that we are already looking ahead and that is why we are working hard to support the president’s efforts to get resources for supporting the Post 2015 Development Agenda,” said Magalasi.

Speaking earlier, Malawi’s Foreign Affairs Minister George Chaponda told the media in New York that currently government was mobilizing resources to deal with the four development goals which registered failure.

“As you can see, we did well in four areas and failed to another four areas. Which means in the period after the MDGs expires in 2015, we will need to focus on these areas,” said Chaponda.

He was speaking after signing on behalf of government a memorandum of understanding under which the Spanish government will provide resources amounting to K2.1 billion for various activities in the social sectors.

“Because of our objective to deal with the outstanding issues pertaining to MDGs it is important that government expands its efforts to court more friends and partners like Spain to support our efforts,” said Chaponda.

The eight development goals were to: • Eradicate extreme hunger and poverty • Achieve universal primary education • Promote gender equality and empower women • Reduce child mortality • Improve maternal health • Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases • Ensure environmental sustainability Develop a global partnership for development

According to the latest MDG Progress Report on Malawi (2012), Malawi is on course to achieve half of the eight MDGs and these are: • Reducing child mortality • Combating HIV and AIDS, malaria and other diseases • Ensuring environmental sustainability (MDG Developing global partnership for development.

The world and the region to which Malawi belong has faced a number of socio-economic challenges that may have had huge implications on the attainment of MDGs at the global level and in individual countries.

The late 2000s saw the emergence of the global financial crisis, the recession in euro-zone countries especially those with high unemployment rates, high food prices, climate change, among others, which can have direct and indirect effects on efforts to achieve MDGs.

The MDGs that are unlikely to be achieved have largely a feminine face or dimension given that Malawi is a country with a higher population of women than men.

Gender equality and women’s empowerment is a key development goal in its own right and an important means to achieve the other lagging MDGs, as it pays off and benefits the girl child, women, families and society in general.

The achievement of gender equality goal has many synergistic and multiplier effects on other MDGs and government would like use it, by focusing on the ‘girl child’, as an entry point to accelerate the attainment of all other lagging MDGs.

Supporting the girl child, by giving her all round life skills, has got many immediate and long term benefits that would contribute to the achievements of all the other lagging MDGs.

Arguably the ‘Girl Child’ is an intervention target that has one of the most far reaching multiplier effects on the lagging as well as the non-lagging MDG goals.– Brain Kalanda is reporting for Nyasa Times from the UN, in New York, United States

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