UN, Malawi government outline development plans for 2020

Malawi Government and the United Nations (UN) have signed a joint annual work plan for 2020 to accelerate the country’s efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Chief Secretary to the Government Lloyd Muhara and the UN Resident Coordinator for Malawi Maria Jose Torres signed the joint work plan Friday afternoon at Capitol Hill in Lilongwe.

The work plan, which has an implementation budget of US$264 million, is aimed at operationalising the 2019-2023 UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), formerly referred to as the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF).

Muhara said the joint work plan is crucial to ensuring that there is coordination between the Malawi Government and the UN and that all development efforts are aligned to the country’s development frameworks.

“This joint work plan outlines how the Malawi Government and the United Nations will carry out the activities under which the United Nations is assisting Malawi in this year (2020).

“It helps us to begin carrying out the activities under the three strategic priorities set out in the UNSDCF,” he said.

Muhara called for continued coordination and cooperation during the implementation of the plan to ensure that the country makes great strides in achieving SDGs.

On her part, Toress said that the signing of the agreement symbolises the strong commitment, partnership and cooperation that exists between the Malawi Government and the UN.

“The agreement gives us a platform for accelerating the SDG Agenda for Malawi.

“Every year, we review how we are going to achieve the three priorities set out in our five-year cooperation framework and this agreement outlines our work for this year,” Torres said.

Torres further said the 2020 work plan has not only focused on the high levels of politics.

“Deliberate efforts have been put in place to ensure the involvement of local communities, institutions and authorities for meaningful impact,” she said.

THE UNSDCF is a United Nations’ development support plan that is designed to align with and support the implementation of the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS).

The 2019-2013 UNSDCF is aligned to the MGDS III and outlines three strategic priorities, namely, peace, inclusion and effective institutions, population management and human development and inclusive and resilient growth.

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