Malawi youth parliament starts April 8

The National Assembly has announced that the third  meeting of the second Youth Parliament of Malawi (YPM) will be held at the Parliament building in Lilongwe from April 8 to 12 2018.

Members of the youth parliament are selected from all the 193 constituencies through a process that includes the involvement of the councils.

A statement from the National Assembly says the Youth Parliament is one of the outreach activities under the National Assembly’s strategic plan in line with its overall goal of taking Parliament to the people.

“The main objective of the Youth Parliament is to give the youth of Malawi a platform to voice their views and concerns on critical issues affecting their lives with the assurance that government and concerned organisations would be alerted on the challenges they face and address them,” reads the statement in part.

It says Parliament is implementing the initiative in collaboration with government and development partners such as United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Save the Children, Plan International and TImveni Child and Youth Organisation.

The Youth Parliament is held the same way Members of Parliament conduct their business, with a government side and the opposition.

Malawi launched the first ever Youth Parliament in August 2012 to give the youth an opportunity to be heard and play a constructive role in the development of the country.
It started as transition from the Children’s Parliament that started in 2012.

This was in line with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s action plan and Malawi Parliament’s strategic plan of 2010 – 2015.

One of the key challenges faced by the Children’s Parliament was the lack of linkage with the Malawi Parliament.

The instutionalisation of the Youth Parliament in the National Assembly was, therefore, key to ensuring that resolutions follow through the proper legal processes and are implemented via the main Parliament.

UNICEF supported the children’s Parliament and is also one of the development partners providing financial and technical support to the Youth Parliament.

 

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :

Sharing is caring!