Talking Points for Malawi Vice President on the Occasion of a Virtual Press Briefing on the African Regional Review Meeting in Lilongwe: 22-26 February 2021

Talking Points for Malawi Vice President Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima 

On the Occasion of a Virtual Press Briefing on the African Regional Review Meeting in Lilongwe

LILONGWE, MALAWI,

WEDNESDAY, 17TH FEBRUARY, 2021

• Your Excellency, Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, Under-Secretary General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.
• Honourable Eisenhower Nduwa Mkaka, M.P., Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Malawi.
• Maria Jose Torres Macho, United Nations Resident Coordinator.
• Members of the Press.
• All Protocol observed.

• It is a great honour and privilege to co-preside over the Virtual Press Briefing for the African Regional Review Meeting (ARRM) scheduled to be held virtually in Lilongwe, Malawi, from 22nd to 26th February, 2021.

• On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Malawi, and, indeed, on my own behalf, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Your Excellency Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, high-level dignitaries and the media personnel participating in this briefing.

• The main purpose of this briefing is to update you on the state of Malawi’s readiness for the African Regional Review Meeting (ARRM) of the 33 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) of Africa and Haiti to be held, from 22nd to 26th February 2021.

• Malawi as the Chair of the LDCs has been working closely with the United Nations Office of High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) in preparing for the African Regional Review Meeting (ARRM).

• I am pleased to report that all is set to host the African Regional Review Meeting (ARRM), on a virtual platform, in view of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.

• As you are all aware, the objective of the African Regional Review Meeting is to adopt an outcome Document of the 33 LDCs of Africa and Haiti in preparation for the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar, from 23rd to 27th January, 2022.

• In this regard, the Government of the Republic of Malawi takes this meeting seriously as it will offer an opportunity for LDCs of Africa and Haiti to review the implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action (IPoA) for the period 2011-2020 and strategize on which areas should be prioritized in the new programme to be adopted in Doha, Qatar.

• It is also important to note that the implementation of the Istanbul Plan of Action (IPoA) has been derailed by many other factors, including COVID-19 pandemic. Governments’ resources have been diverted towards COVID-19 pandemic in order to save lives.

• As such, this meeting will deliberate on this pandemic and come up with concrete proposals to address the adverse impact of COVID -19 on the economies of the LDCs and propose possible solutions in the new programme.

• In as far as the Government of Malawi is concerned, this meeting is taking place at an opportune time because we launched the Malawi 2063 Vision in January, 2021. It is expected that our aspirations in the new vision will be aligned to the new programme of the LDCs.

• At the regional and international levels, we are implementing the 2063 African Union Agenda and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We are, therefore, expected to share experiences and lessons learnt and agree on key areas for the new programme of LDCs.

• In conclusion, the Government of the Republic of Malawi is fully committed to ensure that the African Regional Review Meeting (ARRM) is held successfully. The document to be adopted at the meeting is very useful for the 5th United Nations Conference of Least Developed Countries (UN-LDCV) in Doha, Qatar, in January, 2022.

I thank you for your kind attention.