Malawi lost opportunity to lift 2 million people out of poverty — UNDP report

The unsustainable use of natural resources and agricultural practices cost Malawi the opportunity to lift 1.9 people out of abject poverty between 2005 and 2015, the latest United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report says.

UN Resident Coordinator, Maria Jose Torres, has since challenged the Malawi Government to accelerate the implementation of SDGs
Secretary to the Treasury, Cliff Chiunda: The reports provide new insights

The report states that more women farmers than men are not adopting modern farming methods and practices, which has tended to limit their agricultural production.

The UN Resident Coordinator, Maria Jose Torres, has since challenged the Malawi government to accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to uplift millions of Malawians still trapped in abject poverty.

Torres made the remarks in an interview in Lilongwe on the sidelines of the launch of the reports from the Poverty Environment Initiative (PEI) and Poverty Environment Action for SDGs (PEA) on Wednesday.

PEA is a continuation of the work under the predecessor PEI through a partnership of UN and the Government of Malawi.

“Natural resources provide the bedrock of the country’s main economic activities and the livelihoods for the majority of the population. Thus, unsustainable use of natural resources makes the country highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and degradation of the environment and natural resources,” said Torres.

“As a result, any unsustainable use of the country’s abundant natural resources means that the performance of the overall economy would be greatly compromised,” she added.

In his remarks, Secretary to the Treasury, Cliff Chiunda, said the reports provide new insights that could shape the policies and strategies for use by the government and its stakeholders in addressing the linkages between poverty, environment and natural resources management and agricultural production in a gender disaggregated manner.

Chiunda further stated that the reports will also provide inputs into optimum resource allocation in a way that could help the country to achieve SDGs, especially those that deal with food security, poverty reduction and the environment.

“Our failure to conserve and use the environment and natural resources in a sustainable manner presents a huge survival risk to many Malawians. The link between poverty and environment has always been evident, but we have often taken it for granted,” he said.

Meanwhile, Torres has disclosed that UN is coming up with a new joint programme on Poverty Environment Action for SDGs whose major goal is to support the Malawi Government implement key policies, particularly at the district level to improve food security and people’s lives.

She said the joint programme intends to strengthen linkages between the community’s environment and natural resource management-related activities, and national and district level plans and policies, to ensure that policies developed at national level are implemented and have an impact at community level.

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Achiswe.
4 years ago

Where does His Excellency Professor P A Mutharika stand on this subject? He frequently refers to how he has improved the economy of the country in esoteric terms of economics that few, if any, can understand. The improvements he boasts of bear little or no relevance to this subject. We heard recently of the devastating effect of plastics on the environment in Malawi and in particular on Lake Malawi and its fish stock. The natural resources of the country are indeed its main assets, and yet they are ignored in favour of so-called development projects, which do little or nothing… Read more »

Mchawa
4 years ago

Kikikiki Duli (below) is mfundo-less. Angokamba za matope anzake akukamba za economy and how Companies are letting this country down

Shame
Shame
4 years ago

We have retarded leaders who are only interested in enriching themselves! I can’t wait for May 21st

Prophet Mborol
4 years ago

We should be seeing banks writing off loans from citizens .Other banks have been posting huge profits since they were born.STD bank and National Bank.Let us see their care to citizens during these years of cashgate disturbances in the economy

Prophet Mborol
4 years ago

If all our own banks are doing black market loans ,katapila interest of 51%,where do think people could get lifted in businesses? Unless the government controls and monitor bank interest!

Marumbo
4 years ago

UN you are so blind. What causes Malawi poverty are the untrustworthy companies that reap Malawi of their fortunes but they deposit their finances abroad. They even under-declare their sales and avoid paying justified taxes. These bad companies include all Tea Companies in Mulanje and Thyolo. Also Illovo in Chikwawa and Nkhotakota, Raiply in Mzimba, Kayerekera Uranium in Karonga are bad companies who invest offshore. Cotton and Tobacco companies in Balaka, Kasungu, Zomba, Mangochi, Mchinji are also not giving us tangible returns due to ukamberembere. We should have cities in Mulanje, Thyolo, Mzimba, Karonga, Kasungu, Mangochi, Chikwawa, Nkhotakota, Balaka etc… Read more »

Duli
Duli
4 years ago
Reply to  Marumbo

Iwe Marumbo you were born to be dull with the genes of dullness flowing all over you. When it rains, you see muddy waters flowing everywhere even under your own nose. The muddy waters are carrying top soil which would have been suffient enough for productivity that would have lifted the people in the numbers out of poverty, all things being equal, value chai approches, infrastructure, etc. Nothing to do with the nonsense you write. Your nonsense is another dimension to address poverty you dunderhead.

Achiswe.
4 years ago
Reply to  Marumbo

Why should companies invest their profits in Malawi when there is so much corruption at the top of government?

President Mkango Lion Manthakanjenjemereza
President Mkango Lion Manthakanjenjemereza
4 years ago

Zomzezi chifukwa chopanda masomphenya

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