Malawi, 2014

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.