Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture, Dr. Elizabeth Gomani-Chindebvu, has emphasized that national peace, unity and security are key to the attainment of the country’s longest development blueprint – Malawi 2063 (MW2063).
Gomani-Chindebvu made the remarks at Senior Chief Bwananyambi’s Headquarters in Mangochi during an interface meeting with members of the District Peace and Unity Committee (DPUC).
The United Nations in Malawi (UN Malawi) organized the meeting through the Social Cohesion Project, which is Government of Ireland and other partners are financing to promote peace and coexistence in the district through enhancement of border security and conflict prevention.
The PS said peace, unity and security are the critical ingredients that Malawi needs to attain her social and economic aspirations as espoused in the MW2063.
“The duty to achieve MW2063 lies in our hands as citizens. But we can achieve this if there is peace, unity and security from the community to the national level,” said Gomani-Chindebvu.
In her remarks, DPUC member Nellie Chitukula said there is a need for couples to spearhead the promotion of peace and unity, stressing that there cannot be sustainable peace and unity if families assume their role.
Chitukula also called for the empowerment of women and children to drive peace-building efforts in Malawi.
“When children grow up recognizing the importance of peace and unity right from the community level, it will be easy for the nation to achieve national peace. Most importantly, mothers should take a leading role in training children in the promotion of peace and unity because they are the ones who spend most of the time with the young ones,” she said.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation of UN Heads of Agencies, UN Resident Coordinator Rebecca Ada-Dontoh expressed satisfaction with the impact the project has had on the beneficiary communities.
Ada-Dontoh said the UN family remains committed to the promotion of peace, unity and security in Malawi.
“UN commits to supporting the establishment of peace committees in all the districts in Malawi because we do realize that only a peaceful country cannot attract investors. I am happy that Malawi is a relatively peaceful country. Let us ensure that we sustain this peace,” she said.
