NEW YORK: The Malawi President, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, Saturday, 21st September, 2024 held a crucial meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on one of the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The focus of the meeting was on the accidental food crisis in Malawi, exacerbated by last year’s natural disasters, including devastating cyclones and droughts. The President highlighted that approximately 4 million Malawians are in urgent need of food assistance.
“We would greatly appreciate food assistance and cash transfers for the affected households,” Chakwera said.
President Chakwera requested increased support from the UN to help alleviate hunger in Malawi until the next harvest in April 2025. He emphasized the need for food assistance and cash transfers for affected households.
As Malawi continues to recover from Cyclone Freddy, which left millions struggling to rebuild, the President also sought assistance in rehabilitating critical infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals, as well as affordable housing construction, to aid in the country’s recovery from Cyclone Freddy, one of the perilous natural disasters that ravaged south-most parts of the country.
While Malawi’s partnership with the UN spans key sectors including education, health, climate change, poverty eradication, agriculture, and good governance, Chakwera recognized the wide-spanning leadership of Guterres, specifying his advocacy for UN reforms, including his advocacy for establishment of two African permanent seats in the Security Council.
The President also participated in a panel discussion alongside other world leaders to discuss Malawi’s efforts in transforming its food system. Speaking in a separate sideline event of World Leaders Forum at Columbia University, President Chakwera linked food distribution throughout the country with convenient transport infrastructure, remarking that an ongoing rehabilitation of Malawi’s rail network system is calculated to also boost food security across the country through enhancing seamless and cost-effective distribution of food both within and into the country.
The Malawi leader announced to the global audience that his country is working on rebuilding its rail network system to improve food security by enhancing the distribution of food within the country. President Chakwera mentioned that the government has invested in rehabilitating the country’s railway and road infrastructure networks to reduce post-harvest losses and improve food availability.
The President further expressed gratitude for the American government’s support in rural road construction which, he said, will further enhance food distribution across Malawi.
The government is focusing on promoting agriculture commercialization and increasing productivity and income for smallholder farmers, with support from organizations like the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
Overall, President Chakwera highlighted the importance of international support in addressing the food crisis in Malawi and appreciated the UN Secretary General’s advocacy for reforms to improve global cooperation and assistance.
