UN, govt sign K182bn workplan

The United Nations Community and Malawi Government have signed a $246 million (about K182 billion) 2019 workplan to promote peace, inclusion, human capital and inclusive resilient growth.

The workplan, which was signed on Monday at the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) in Lilongwe, will also enhance proper coordination for all UN agencies in the country.

From this year, UN agencies will no longer sign individual work plans with government ministries, but have all their work in a joint plan under the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF).

Speaking during the signing ceremony of the 2019 budget to all 28 districts of the country and over 14 ministries and departments, UN resident coordinator Maria Jose Torres said the annual workplans will enhance coordination and coherence in the work of the UN system in Malawi.

“The joint annual work plans will support the government of Malawi to successfully implement its development priorities in the MGDS [Malawi Growth Development Strategy] III. This will also increase transparency and openness around what we are doing, it will help us avoid duplications and overlaps,” she said.

In 2015, the UN embarked on an ambitious journey for sustainable development to transform the world by 2030 through 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To accomplish this, member States of the UN asked the UN Secretary General to implement a UN reform process which includes the UNDAF.

In September 2018 UN and government signed a $1 billion UNDAF for Malawi for five years (2019-2023) to align it to national priorities under three pillars of peace, inclusion and effective institutions, human capital and population management, and inclusive and resilient growth.

Chief Secretary in the OPC Lloyd Muhara has said the joint annual workplans for the UNDAF will serve as a checks and balances tool for UN agencies, which will minimise duplications as the case was in the past.

“We noted that the funds that came from UN were not well coordinated. So the UN, in their reforms, included this to engage countries to have a framework to implement a programme where there will be no duplication. So, this is a welcome idea and no one will be left behind,” he said. n