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JB tells UN Malawi will miss 4 MDGs

Malawi will miss 4 MDGs: Banda
Malawi will miss 4 MDGs: Banda

Malawi President Joyce Banda on Thursday told the United Nations (UN) General Assembly that Malawi will not meet four of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as the 2015 deadline draws closer.

The President, making her second speech at the UN since ascending to the presidency in April 2012 in line with constitutional order after the death of Bingu wa Mutharika, said Malawi is unlikely to meet the goals of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal access to education; ensuring gender equality and empowerment of women; and improving maternal health.

She said Malawi is on track to achieve four of the eight MDGs of reducing child mortality; combating HIV and Aids, malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and developing a global partnership for development.

Banda said Malawi is stepping up its efforts to accelerate the attainment of the MDGs which will not be met.

A recent United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) report said Malawi has reduced under-five death rates by two thirds or more since 1990, effectively reaching MDG4 on the reduction of child deaths ahead of the 2015 deadline.

Said Banda: “We have identified best practices, as well as the bottlenecks to our progress. In particular, we have understood that gender inequality and lack of empowerment of women are the common constraints limiting our progress towards the MDGs.

“In response, my government has developed a new MDGs Acceleration Framework that places significance on removing these barriers, once and for all.”

The 68th UN General Assembly is reflecting on the progress made on MDGs and debate on the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

In her address, made available to The Nation by the State House Press Office, Banda said MDGs helped Malawi narrow focus and concentrate efforts on the most critical issues, while allowing local ownership.

In September 2000, world leaders endorsed the eight MDGs as a blueprint agreed to by all the world’s countries and all the world’s leading development institutions.

The President also reported to the Assembly that Malawi is registering a strong economic recovery.

 

 

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One Comment

  1. JB how many frameworks will your government formulate? How can such policies be successfully implemented while you are always on the road traveling both locally and internationally. Government is a serious business mama. It is not like administering an individual’s family, village or estate. Sim’maonetsa kuti mizitha? Ndi zimenezotu. When others are doing spectators usually are busy fault-finding. This is how you were doing. But today things are slipping out of your hands. Mama learn to stay in office, consolidate your frameworks, see them implemented through thorough laid down evaluation mechanisms and celebrate the results. But is shows now you are completely lost now. Your popularity is giving way to unpopularity these days. Do some soul searching, you ill find the answer. You are circled by flatterers. In the nearest future they are starting running away leaving you alone after misleading you.

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