Allow me to begin by
congratulating Mr. Sam Kutesa on his election as
President of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth
session. I have no doubt that his election at this juncture
will bring to the notice of the world some of the
problems and opportunities that exist in Africa. Malawi
and Uganda have enjoyed cordial relations for a long
time and my Government and my delegation will do all
we can to support him in that very important position.
Let me also take the opportunity to congratulate
his predecessor, Ambassador John William Ashe, for
guiding the work of the sixty-eighth session of the
General Assembly with skill and pragmatism. I would
also like to thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for
the steady manner in which he continues to guide our
global Organization.
On 20 May, my country held its first ever tripartite
elections, which enabled Malawians to choose their
political leadership through a democratic and peaceful
process. The elections ushered me into office as the
fifth President of the Republic of Malawi. I would
therefore like to inform the Assembly that, despite a
few challenges, the elections were free, fair, transparent
and credible. In that vein, let me seize the opportunity
to thank all the electoral stakeholders, both local and
international, for their dedication to ensuring successful
elections in my country. Malawi has come out of the
election much stronger than before.
On 6 July, Malawi commemorated the golden
jubilee of its independence. As we commemorate the 50
years of peace, law and order, we have tasked ourselves
with taking stock of the development that the country
has registered since 1964, as well as the challenges
that the country faces today. Much of the country has
made some progress in diverse sectors of our national
development, but there is still more to be done in order
to uplift the living standards of the many Malawians
who continue to remain below the poverty line. They
too dream of a better future, which is possible only
if we work with unity of purpose. In a quest to take
development to the micro level, my Government
has embarked on a journey to transform Malawi so
as to ensure the delivery of satisfactory services to
Malawians, especially the poor and the marginalized.
As the Assembly is aware, Malawi was the chair of
the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)
from August 2013 until August 2014. During our term
of office, we strove as a region to achieve long-lasting
peace and stability in our countries. In that vein, let
me commend my country, Malawi, and the countries of
Madagascar and South Africa for holding peaceful and
credible elections.
The SADC group has been undertaking a number
of efforts aimed at ending the cycle of conflicts and
violence in the region. In the Democratic Republic
of the Congo, SADC deployed the Force Intervention
Brigade, comprising troops from Malawi, South Africa
and Tanzania, under the auspices of the United Nations
Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, as authorized under Security
Council resolution 2098 (2013). The SADC group, as
well as the international community, is pleased with
the success achieved in getting the Mouvement du 23
mars and other negative forces to leave the country and
surrender. In Madagascar, SADC played a crucial role
in bringing back constitutional normalcy in the country.
In terms of international peace and security, I
would like to inform this gathering that Malawi has
always supported the disarmament of all weapons
of mass destruction. To that end, we have supported
resolutions in the General Assembly aimed at nuclear
disarmament. Over and above that, a couple of months
ago, my country held an in-country workshop to come
up with mechanisms to implement Security Council
resolution 1540 (2004) at the national level to prevent
the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological
weapons and their means of delivery.
On the same subject, in the Middle East, Malawi
has always been disheartened and disappointed by
the continuing violence and loss of life and property
resulting from the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
That cannot go on forever. We trust that the two-State
solution to the conflict, with Israel and Palestine living
side by side, in peace and harmony, is the only viable
way to achieve lasting peace in the region. We encourage
both sides to the dispute to renounce violence, exercise
utmost restraint and employ dialogue as the sure tool to
reach a political settlement.
As for the post-2015 development agenda, the choice
of “Delivering on and implementing a transformative
post-2015 development agenda” as the theme for the
sixty-ninth session of the General Assembly could not
be more appropriate. The fight against poverty, hunger
and inequality constitutes the greatest challenge of our
time. The theme further augurs well for the future in
relation to the plans and aspirations of the people of
Malawi.
Malawi appreciates the consultative nature of
the process followed in designing the post-2015
development agenda. Let me therefore commend the
Secretary-General’s initiatives to ensure an inclusive
process that will lead to the post-2015 development
agenda. With financial and technical support from the
United Nations, more than 50 countries have conducted
national consultations, in which people provided input
and direction on the post-2015 development framework.
I am pleased that Malawi was one of the countries
selected for those national consultations. The post-
2015 development agenda should reflect the needs and
priorities of the developing world.
It is important that the next global development
agenda draw lessons from the successes and challenges
of the current blueprint being used, namely, the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Rather than
seeing 2015 as an end point, we must think of it as the
beginning of a new era, an era in which we eradicate
extreme poverty, protect the environment and promote
economic opportunity for all. The MDGs have played
an important role in concentrating our efforts around
the common purpose of eradicating poverty. They
have raised public awareness about the unacceptable
levels of poverty and have helped mobilize action
towards a fairer world. The MDGs provided a common
framework for monitoring progress, highlighting areas
of achievement as well as challenges.
Malawi is on track for achieving four of the eight
MDGs, namely, reducing child mortality; combating
HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring
environmental sustainability; and developing a global
partnership for development. However, we are unlikely
to meet the other four goals, namely, eradicating
extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal
access to education; ensuring gender equality and
the empowerment of women; and improving maternal
health. Malawi will therefore be proceeding to the post-
2015 development agenda with unfinished business
from the MDGs.
One reason why developing countries like Malawi
have failed to achieve all of the Millennium Development
Goals is inadequate resources. Commitments made by
development partners have been unpredictable and
have often gone unfulfilled. To achieve delivery of the
post-2015 development agenda, the global community
should not repeat that mistake. More importantly,
accountability and transparency, as well as monitoring
and evaluation mechanisms, should be promoted.
It is therefore imperative that, as we move closer to
welcoming the new global development agenda, we
should all be mindful of the importance of global
partnership for effective development cooperation. That
would ensure the agenda’s successful implementation
in developing countries.
The post-2015 development agenda should not
be seen as a one-size-fits-all global development
framework. Malawi is looking forward to a framework
that is shared, but differentiated enough, where
developing countries, depending on their special needs
and unique characteristics, will have flexibility in
implementing programmes. My delegation is pleased
with the tremendous progress made thus far in defining
the post-2015 development agenda. It is in that context
that I would like to reiterate and confirm Malawi’s
commitment to achieving sustainable development in
three interconnected dimensions, namely, economic
development, including the end of extreme poverty;
social inclusion; and environmental sustainability.
I am convinced that Member States gathered here
today will own the outcome document of the post-2015
development agenda and will be committed to its full
implementation. It is also encouraging to note that the
sustainable development goals that emanated from the
Open Working Group on Sustainable Development
Goals have incorporated the development concerns of
both the developed and developing world.
With respect to Security Council reform, the year
2015 will mark, as the General Assembly is aware,
the seventieth anniversary of the United Nations.
As such, it will be an occasion for all of us to bring
new energy into the Organization and carry out the
important reforms that we have been calling for since
its inception. For instance, the limited representation
in the Security Council is a source of great concern,
particularly in the light of the challenges of the twenty-
first century. Only by expanding the number of
permanent and non-permanent members of the Council
and by including developing countries in both categories
will we be able to solve some of the legitimacy deficits
under which the Council is currently labouring.
In conclusion, I would submit that the centre of the
post-2015 development agenda should be to address
the plight of hitherto disadvantaged groups, such as
women, girls and persons with disabilities. It is a well-
known fact that the ugly face of poverty manifests itself
through women, girls and persons with disabilities.
It is sad that Africa, the continent to which Malawi
belongs, shares the following worrisome statistics in
terms of human development. First, its share of global
poverty is as high as 30 per cent. Secondly, 40 per cent
of the continent’s children under 5 are stunted in their
growth. Thirdly, Africa’s share of global child mortality
amounts to 50 per cent. Finally, 50 per cent of Africa’s
children are not in school.
I urge that the post-2015 development agenda give
priority to those challenges for redress. Africa has
already spoken clearly about its priorities through the
Common African Position on the post-2015 development
agenda and through the African Union’s Agenda 2063,
which aspires to achieve a prosperous, peaceful and
integrated Africa.
In that vein, I wish to call on all stakeholders to
join the global partnership for effective development
cooperation principles by implementing and delivering
on a transformative post-2015 development agenda.
Malawi will use its position as Chair of the Global
Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation to
help realize that cause.