‘Unga delegation trimmed’

Minister of Information and Digitisation Moses Kunkuyu says President Lazarus Chakwera directed that the Malawi delegation to the United Nations General Assembly (Unga) in New York be trimmed by about 80 percent to cut costs.

In an interview yesterday, the minister, who is also the official government spokesperson, said the President has directed that only delegates from three ministries out of the earmarked 12 should attend the 78th Session of Unga to run from September 18 to 26 2023.

Kunkuyu said the three ministries to make the trip are Health, Finance and Economic Affairs and Trade and Industry.

He said: “For all the nine ministries that are not going, we want to try to squeeze their business into those three ministries that are going.

“I have asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to share with me the full list of delegates so that we can plan on who can represent some of us who are not going. We are doing all this to align ourselves with the directive by the President.”

But Kunkuyu could not indicate the exact number of the Malawi delegation on government ticket.

He said: “It could be less than 30 or more depending on the final tabulation that is being done following the President’s directive.

“Ministers and other institutions that are not going will be represented by those attending and, in some instances, officials from the embassy in New York.”

Kunkuyu said government is also planning to hold a press briefing tomorrow to share with the public the full list of delegates and the number of days the group is expected to stay in the USA.

But Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace national coordinator Boniface Chibwana in an interview yesterday said it is still not prudent for the President to travel with the prevailing socio-economic challenges facing the country.

In a telephone interview yesterday, he observed that even with the reduced delegation, the meagre foreign exchange reserves will still be blown because the President’s entourage is always big.

Said Chibwana: “The best Chakwera could have done was to delegate this to some of his trusted ministers, the results would still be the same. The President should not travel to Unga every year.”

But commenting on the benefits of Unga, Kunkuyu pointed out that this year is a special one as it is a heads of State and government review of the implementation progress of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which takes place once every four years.

Additionally, he said it will address other pressing matters like financing for the SDGs, climate change, global health matters and geopolitical conflicts.

Some of the side events during the meeting will include the Malawi-Partners Conference 2023, which the minister said is expected to gather high-profile representatives to support the country in mobilising resources amounting to $4.8 billion which are crucial to Malawi’s efforts for recovery and reconstruction and to build resilience against future shocks.

Others are the Invest in Malawi Business Forum which will offer a platform for the international community, investors and business to learn about Malawi’s trade and investment opportunities. Kunkuyu also said Chakwera will engage in bilateral meetings with world leaders and potential investors.

Last year, on the sidelines of the Unga, Chakwera witnessed the signing of the $350 million compact with the Millennium Challenge Corporation.