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Press Release
01 May 2023
UNITED NATIONS IN MALAWI ADVOCATES FOR DECENT WORK FOR ALL AND SUSTAINABLE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AMIDST NATURAL DISASTERS ON WORLD LABOUR DAY
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18 April 2023
Cyclone Freddy: When a community stood up for its people
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14 April 2023
Cyclone Freddy: Timely relief brings smiles to hospital patients in Malawi
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The Sustainable Development Goals in Malawi
The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. These are the goals the UN is working on in Malawi:
Story
26 February 2021
African LDCs can achieve SDGs
The Africa Regional Review Meeting which Malawi hosted this week (22 to 26 February) has generated concrete ideas on how to accelerate sustainable development in least developed countries (LDCs).
Speaking during the closing session of the meeting, which was held in preparation for the Fifth UN Conference on Least Developed Countries in Qatar next year, Malawi Vice President, Saulos Chilima, called on LDCs to improve on action to achieve agreed goals on sustainable development.
“LDCs have to embrace structural transformation which entails the transitioning from agriculture to manufacturing; increasing innovations to utilise our abundant resources; and focusing on value creation,” said Chilima.
He also said the international community should accelerate financial inclusion and access to resources to build resilience against shocks in LDCs.
On the impact of COVID-19 in LDCs, Chilima said: “We are hopeful that we will be finding innovative ways to build back better, cleaner and stronger.”
UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, said LDCs have the power to solve their challenges.
“Building back better will be a challenge, but there is hope when people in countries work together,” said ‘Utoikamanu. “The pandemic also presents an opportunity to do things differently and accelerate true transformation, for example, transforming the digital divide into a digital bridge.”
Speaking earlier during the closing session, Malawi Minister of Youth and Sports, Ulemu Msungama, briefed delegates on the Side Event on Youth and SDG Acceleration, which Malawi Government and the UN in Malawi co-hosted at the meeting on Tuesday (23 February).
Msungama said the side event demonstrated that LDCs will not achieve sustainable development if the majority of their populations, including the youth, are not included in development processes.
“Governments should meaningfully engage young people and provide a conducive environment for youth to participate at all levels of decision-making,” he said. “Governments should put in place deliberate systems and platforms that can strengthen and retain engagement, social contact, dialogue and trust with young people.”
During the side event, UN Resident Coordinator, Maria Jose Torres, said youth action and voice are critical to acceleration of the SDG agenda in LDCs.
“The only way to achieve the change that we need is through ensuring that youth are at the forefront of development initiatives in LDCs,” said Torres. “The UN is determined to tap into the creativity and potential of young people to advance sustainable development.”
Over 900 delegates registered for the Africa Regional Review Meeting which had eight dialogue sessions on topics such as building peaceful, just and inclusive societies; mobilizing resources for sustainable development in African LDCs; and social and human development in African LDCs.
The report of the Africa Regional Review Meeting will be submitted to the 5th UN Conference on Least Developed Countries in Doha, Qatar, in January 2022 to feed into the development of a new Programme of Action to accelerate sustainable development in LDCs.
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26 February 2021
The world is in crisis: Transforming LDCs is imperative
COVID-19. Climate change. Economic collapse.
These crises are overlapping, existential and concurrent. And they herald great change, some of which is already upon us.
COVID-19 has been the latest catastrophe for Africa’s economies, collapsing commodity prices, disrupting manufacturing and virtually killing off international tourism.
The result has been a sharp reduction in GDP growth. Together with widening deficits, unsustainable debt, and a drop in Foreign Direct Investment and remittances, the effects of COVID-19 will jeopardize the progress of the Least Developed Countries in Africa towards sustainable development for years to come.
The virus knows no borders, and so the vaccine itself must not be subject to nationalism or protectionism. But likewise, climate response plans must be cooperative, ambitious and fair. Economic recovery packages must focus on debt eradication and have the most vulnerable at their heart.
This confluence of crises demands a new solidarity.
46 countries are designated as being the ‘least developed countries’ or LDCs - and 33 of these are in Africa.
These countries, from Angola to Zambia, face multiple challenges, including weak economies and low exports – issues that have only got worse since the pandemic struck. All of these problems are compounded by other challenges like conflict, inequality and climate change.
A high rate of urbanisation among African LDCs makes cities and urban centres increasingly vulnerable to the impact of disasters. Without strong and purposeful governance that aspires towards structural transformation and sustainable development, economic and social outcomes in these LDCs will remain weak.
A major meeting will be held virtually in Malawi this month to help build an ambitious new programme for action for LDCs to build momentum and partnerships as the final decade of action for the 2030 agenda gathers pace.
The meeting will assess how African LDCs and Haiti are achieving sustainable development, and agree recommendations to help them accelerate progress over the next decade. The meeting will also seek to strengthen support by the international community for the LDCs.
The outcome of the African Regional Review will lay out plans for a renewed partnership for sustainable development between the LDCs and their development partners.
That new partnership will be agreed at the Fifth United Nations Conference on the LDCs – known as LDC5 – a major landmark in the efforts of LDCs and their partners to overcome core challenges, including the COVID crisis.
Hosted by Qatar and taking place in early 2022, decisions made by world leaders at LDC5 will have the potential to transform the lives of no less than a billion of the world’s most vulnerable people.
Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the African Regional Review meeting will be held online and bring together ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development from across the continent. They will be joined by representatives from development partner nations, international and regional organisations, the private sector, academia and civil society.
The meeting is based on a bottom-up approach to preparing for LDC5 that ensures the needs of LDCs are clarified and heard. African LDCs have already completed national reviews on development progress and these will be the main inputs for the regional meeting.
LDC5 will represent a reaffirmation of the global commitment to the special needs of LDCs at this critical time. With the COVID crisis still in full flame, climate change untamed and a new economic and debt crisis rolling around the world, the stakes for the conference could not be higher. And so, with a year to go, the preparatory process is already well underway.
It is not hyperbolic to suggest we are facing a difficult set of complex problems like humanity never has before. And, as is too often the case, it is the weakest economies and the most vulnerable countries that are facing the effects most.
It is precisely because of the scale of our problems that we must be honest with ourselves, and each other. We have the capacity to handle everything ahead of us – we just need the will. We have great multilateral systems of cooperation – we just need to invest in them. And we have incredible energy and activism, especially from our youth – we just need to listen to what they say.
The pandemic has erected physical borders between us, and these will be temporarily. We must not let it erect new ideological or political barriers, which will be far longer lasting.
Great change seems inevitable and just over the horizon. How we meet that change will not only say a lot about the systems we have built but will set the next course for humanity.
Authored by the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS), which supports groups of vulnerable countries in the United Nations System.
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22 May 2020
A Coordinated Response to Coronavirus
On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) characterized the coronavirus (COVID-19) viral disease a pandemic, but it is a pandemic that can be controlled. Coronavirus (COVID-19) is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who heads the UN agency, said, in his statement, “Let me be clear: describing this as a pandemic does not mean that countries should give up.”
The UN Secretary-General urged all countries to take a comprehensive approach tailored to their circumstances – with containment as the central pillar. COVID-19 is affecting millions of people, impacting countries’ health systems and having widespread social and economic effects. The UN entities working on development, the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, are supporting countries in their preparedness and response plans.
This page convenes sources of information and guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) regarding the current outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
WHO is working closely with global experts, governments and partners to track the spread and to provide guidance to countries and individuals on measures to protect health and prevent the spread of this outbreak.
Covid-19 Response in Malawi
The UN is providing decisive and coordinated support to Government efforts, together with development partners and non-government organizations, to strengthen the ability of Malawian institutions to respond to the COVID-19 crisis and ensure that no one is left behind. Technical advice provided by WHO has been critical to the design of Malawi’s national COVID-19 health sector plan, including establishing laboratory testing capacity and training public health specialists.
Key moments on Covid-19 response in Malawi
20 Mar 2020 : Declaration of State of National Disaster
02 Apr 2020 : First three Covid-19 cases are confirmed in Malawi
07 April 2020: First Covid-19 death was recorded in Malawi
08 Apr 2020 : National Preparedness and Response Plan seeking $345 million
14 Apr 2020 : 21-Day Lockdown declared: Minister and President statements
17 Apr 2020 : High Court grants 7-day court injunction against lockdown
29 Apr 2020 : High Court sustains injunction against the lockdown
04 May 2020: Humanitarian actors seek US$140.1 million in Emergency Appeal
01 Aug 2020: Zikomo Presidential Award for health workers introduced
09 Aug 2020: Govt stresses need to also treat other chronic illnesses
27 Aug 2020: Schools to start re-opening in phases from 7 Sep 2020
Guidance on Covid-19 response in Malawi
Malawi Public Health (Coronavirus and Covid-19) Prevention, Containment and Management Rules (2020) - August 2020
National Covid-19 Preparedness and Response Plan
Covid-19 Flash Appeal for Humanitarian Community in Malawi
Guidelines for Schools in Malawi on Prevention and Management of Covid-19
Covid-19 Workplace Guidelines for Malawi
Malawi Guidance on Face Masks
Guidance on Home-Based Management of Persons with Asymptomatic and Mild Covid-19
Covid-19 situation reports and updates for Malawi
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.40 as of 11th May 2021
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.39 as of 16th April 2021
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.38 as of 22nd March 2021
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.37 as of 10th March 2021
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.36 as of 29th January 2021
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.35 as of 18th January 2021
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.34 as of 31st December 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.33 as of 23rd December 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.32 as of 4th December 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.29 as of 9th October 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.28 as of 25th September 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.27 as of 18th September 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.26 as of 11th September 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.25 as of 04th September 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.24 as of 28th August 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.23 as of 21st August 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.22 as of 14th August 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.21 as of 7th August 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.20 as of 31st July 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.19 as of 24th July 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.18 as of 17th July 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.17 as of 10th July 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.16 as of 3rd July 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.15 as of 26th June 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.14 as of 19th June 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.13 as of 12th June 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.12 as of 05th June 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.11 as of 29th May 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.10 as of 22nd May 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.09 as of 15th May 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.08 as of 08th May 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.07 as of 01st May 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.06 as of 24th April 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.05 as of 17th April 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.04 as of 10th April 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.03 as of 03rd April 2020
Malawi COVID-19 Situation Update No.02 as of 27th March 2020
Daily Updates:
COVID-19 Daily Situation Reports by Public Health Institute of Malawi
Covid-19 platforms in Malawi
COVID-19 National Information Dashboard
COVID-19 3W Interactive Dashboard-Malawi
Malawi Emergency Appeal Financial Tracking
COVID-19 Calendar of Meetings
General guidance on Covid-19
COVID-19 Technical Guidance
COVID-19 Advice for the Public
Busting Myths on COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Advice on Use of Masks to Prevent COVID-19 infections
Covid-19 and leaving no one behind
COVID-19 and Human Rights
Impact of COVID-19 in Africa
Impact of COVID-19 on Women
Impact of COVID-19 on Children
Impact of COVID-19 on Older Persons
Disability-Inclusive Response to COVID-19
COVID-19 and the Need for Action on Mental Health
Responding to Socio-Economic Impacts of COVID-19
UN Framework for Immediate Socio-Economic Response to COVID-19
The Secretary-General's UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund
Covid-19 Research and Development
Global research on coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
To stay up to date with the latest information, please visit:
World Health Organization
Latest news on the United Nations’ response
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Situation
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18 April 2023
Cyclone Freddy: When a community stood up for its people
“The houses were being ripped apart, and after a few minutes I started seeing people running. Fear was on their faces,” says Keziah Makunganya, a resident of Blantyre City in southern Malawi, recalling when Cyclone Freddy tore through the city on 13 March.
Keziah is just one of several community members who stepped up to volunteer their services to support the many people displaced that day.
The floods and mudslides that followed the cyclone wreaked havoc on communities in southern Malawi, destroying lives and properties. Nearly 883,000 houses were affected, forcing about 659,300 people to leave their homes and shelter in 747 displacement sites including schools, churches, community facilities and other camps, according to authorities.
The Government and humanitarian organizations are providing people with life-saving assistance, but others, like Keziah, have come forward to help people in displacement sites.
When Keziah saw people running on 13 March, she followed them, which is how she found herself at Manja Primary School, which is a displacement site. She saw women carrying babies who were soaking wet and freezing. Keziah went home and packed all of her family’s bedding to help keep them warm.
She says: “I don’t know how to balance between my fashion design business and my time at the Manja displacement site, but I take each day as it comes. I am here to help, and I will help as much as I can. When the displaced are settled, that is when I will be peaceful.”
Helping to coordinate
Tamara Nyahoda, a community worker, coordinates volunteers at the Manja Primary School displacement site. She explains: “I live a few metres away from this site. Some of these people are the ones who I buy vegetables from; they are literally my neighbours.”
The night the floods tore through parts of Blantyre, Tamara brought her gas stove to the school and cooked porridge and tea for at least 100 people to keep them warm. Two weeks later, the stove is still being used at the site.
As coordinator, Tamara oversees other volunteers’ activities at the displacement site.
According to Tamara, there were many volunteers on the first night, but now there are about 10. They have organized themselves according to their specialties, including security and kitchen duties, and a doctor who works at night.
They were strangers before the cyclone, but their desire to help the affected people brought each of them to the school, where they now work together leveraging each other’s strengths.
A few days after the cyclone, the volunteers met to discuss how better to support people at the displacement sites, including how to manage and ensure accountability for the donations being sent to the site, but while calling for more donations from well-wishers.
Keziah is now a volunteer storekeeper at the Manja site. Displaced people now sleep in the school’s classrooms, which are used to help distribute donations. Keziah explains:
“The displaced people communicate their needs to each classroom’s chairlady or chairman, who in turn delivers the message to the store where donations are kept. We could not have everybody requesting assistance at the same time, as this would create confusion.
“When we do not have a commodity that is needed, we always check with the Red Cross, and vice versa. This has created a seamless operation and togetherness between us.”
The joy of lending a hand
Tamanda Mzima, a doctor with the Government of Malawi, was on leave when the cyclone tore through southern Malawi. She now volunteers her time at the Manja displacement site, especially at night when doctors from the private hospital have left for the day.
She explains: “I live 10 metres away from the mountains. I was in my house when I started hearing strange sounds, which prompted me to go outside. I saw ambulances on the road outside my house collecting people from where the cyclone had struck. People were all over the street with no sense of direction. I was afraid! My family and I ran to my friend’s house, where we stayed for the night.”
The horrific scenes of that night stayed with Dr. Tamanda. On the first night, she volunteered at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital. But when she later learned that volunteer doctors were needed in various displacement sites, she offered to help at the Manja site, as it’s close to her home.
Dr. Tamanda now covers the night shift, often attending to cases of upper respiratory infections, malaria and diarrhoea. She also provides health information, distributes chlorine to mitigate the spread of communicable diseases, and links people who are sick with ambulance services that take them to the district referral hospital.
“There is no greater joy than lending a hand to someone in need,” she says.
In the days and weeks ahead, as people return home, and Tamara, Keziah and Dr. Tamanda resume their daily routines, the legacy of their and other Malawians’ incredible solidarity will live on in the hearts of those whose lives they touched.
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14 April 2023
Cyclone Freddy: Timely relief brings smiles to hospital patients in Malawi
We watch anxiously as the white WFP humanitarian truck in front of us ploughs through a waterlogged dirt road. The truck is enroute to reach vulnerable and displaced communities in desperate need of relief supplies. The truck crosses a perilously looking makeshift wooden bridge and slippery terrain.
Finally, we arrive at Katuma camp situated 31 km away from Mulanje Town which is close to the Mozambique border. Mulanje district lies 67 km west of Blantyre, Malawi’s commercial capital.
In Mulanje district alone, 67,233 women and girls are seeking shelter in camps after their homes were wrecked. At Katuma camp 456 women, men and children need relief items.. The camp comprises of a one room brick structure where 340 women and children are staying, while 116 men are cramped in a small, thatched structure.
As the truck contents begin to be offloaded, the line of people to receive items slowly begins to grow. The camp protection committee works swiftly with the district and UN Women staff to organize the camp community. There is a general sense of relief in the area as pregnant women start receiving emergency supplies.
Seven-months pregnant Rebeca Kabisala narrates her ordeal, “It rained non-stop for days, when one of the walls in my house collapsed, I ran out quickly-I lost everything. This blanket I have received will keep me warm in the overcrowded camp”.
As the hours pass by, rows of lactating mothers, adolescent girls, women, persons with disabilities, the elderly as well as boys of all ages and men approach the truck to receive items.
Edna Mishioni, 35, smiles as she opens a bucket she has just received. “Managing menstrual hygiene has made me so anxious since we came here. Now, I don’t have to be ashamed and stressed because I have sanitary pads” she says.
Venika Mangwaya is led to the truck by her young grandson. “Seeing all this maize flour is a miracle, the children in the camp can eat more than one meal a day”.
A few kilometres away from Katuma camp, a church building has been turned into a camp. Forty-two-year-old Annie Makukenya excitedly switches on a solar lamp she has been given. “The building we are sleeping in is always dark, this lamp will make us feel safer and the children can read at night”.
Maria John, a local volunteer who works in ten camps in the area says humanitarian response must include and deliberately target women. “When disasters like these floods strike, organizations must respond to the unique needs of women and girls, we applaud UN Women for doing this” she says.
As the sun begins to set, the truck drives away having distributed to almost 500 households in four camps in traditional authority Mkanda in Mulanje.
Early March 2023, Malawi was hit by Tropical Cyclone Freddy that induced floods and mud slides in 15 districts in Southern region. As of 27th March 2023, approximately 2,267,458 people (1,110,639 males, 1,156,819 females and 234,729 people living with disability) have been affected. This is 11% of Malawi population estimated at 20,428,275. The number of displaced people is at 659,278 with 747 camps commissioned to accommodate the displaced. It is estimated that 65% of the displaced people are women. The death toll is at 679. The number of injured persons is at 2178. The number of reported missing persons is at 537. The torrential rains, mud slides and floods caused a lot of damage to infrastructure including houses, roads, household property, schools, health facilities and displaced many households.
UN Women has donated relief items, including hygiene kits, blankets, wrappers, solar lamps and food worth US$30,000 to those affected by Cyclone Freddy.
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06 April 2023
An Outbreak in the Midst of an Emergency
Malawi's worst cholera outbreak has left Penjani Chunda with little time to rest since its onset in March 2022.
Every day, the district environmental health officer in Blantyre receives reports, calls and visitors to refine strategies to make the fast-spreading disease history.
During the meeting, he was dispatching teams, medicine and essential supplies to cholera hotspots.
However, his job got harder when Cyclone Freddy struck southern Malawi, triggering severe landslides and flash floods that displaced thousands, with more than 100 people confirmed dead and about 30 missing in Blantyre.
Animated by early warnings from the weather department, ambulance teams swiftly evacuated all cholera patients from health centres to an isolation zone at Queen Elizabeth Centre Hospital (QECH) to reduce the potential deaths, injuries and damages.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the health workers focus switched from the raging outbreak that has claimed 1, 724 lives from about 56,876 confirmed cases in a year, to the influx of wounded patients and bodies from areas devastated by the cyclone.
"It was hectic and we had no time to adjust. We had to deal with two emergencies that are not only related but also devastating on the community where we work," says Chunda.
The country's deadliest natural disaster exerted immense pressure on the healthcare system already grappling with a high disease burden, including the polio resurgence, the Covid-19 pandemic and the raging cholera emergency that followed Tropical Storm Ana, which affected nearly a million people nationwide.
"It wasn't easy to deal with the double blow, but teamwork always wins," says Chunda, who coordinates disease surveillance, prevention and control in all 37 health centres in Blantyre, which has been hit the hardest by both cholera and the world's longest-running cyclone, Freddy.
He marshalled the emergency transfer of cholera patients to the facility that housed Covid-19 patients during the coronavirus disease's second wave in 2020.
Maria Malele a community nurse prepares to assess malnutrition on one-year-old Obadia Andrea
Chunda explains: "The cyclone affected the cholera response, including treatment units that were pulled down once the patients had been evacuated to QECH, where we already had a camp fit for the purpose. Despite the horrifying disaster, no camp fell on a patient," he explains.
The cyclone has stirred a surge in cholera cases in Blantyre just when the national disease burden is falling.
Daily updates by the Ministry of Health show Blantyre’s count has surged to 45 from 20 to 30 before the storm.
"The numbers are rising sharply due to a breakdown in access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene at a time we expected the double-digit counts to fall below 10," he says.
Due to the disruptive disaster, Chunda preventive health teams suspended a nationwide campaign to vaccinate people against cholera and Covid-19 in communities where they live and work.
"To us, the surge is a cause of worry. We expect a worse outbreak since the cyclone destroyed water and sanitation facilities in its way. This is a double blow because it is happening amid a cholera outbreak sparked by last year's cyclones. With the current cyclone, our neighbours in Mozambique, who were also hit hard, have also been affected by cholera," he explains.
The affected population requires soap for hand-washing, buckets for water storage, chlorine for water treatment and public awareness, especially on preventive measures.
"We need urgent support to protect the devastated communities and remind them of the importance of insisting on safe water, sanitation and hygiene," he says.
The Ministry of Health has deployed community health workers to all emergency evacuation camps to conduct health talks and chlorination in a desperate effort to avert the potential cholera eruption among more than 350 000 people displaced by the cyclone.
Camps in Blantyre have six confirmed cholera patients within two weeks. These include three recorded at Mpingwe camp, two at Manja and one at Mbayani.
"The good news is that the spread has been kept under control, but this confirms our fears that poor sanitation and hygiene could turn the overcrowded camps into super spreaders of cholera," Chunda warns.
Equally worried is community nurse Maria Malele, one of the health workers who worked day and night to save the lives of cholera patients amid the humanitarian crisis caused by Cyclone Freddy. Her work in the 43-bed cholera treatment site at QECH just got harder with the new arrivals from the city's hotspots, including devastated zones and congested camps.
"Our workload in the cholera treatment centre increased dramatically with the cyclone. Few hands had to care for an increasing number of patients as many health workers turned to assisting casualties from disaster zones.
"For the past two weeks, we have been knocking off late when there are many patients. Ours is a calling, so we cannot live with patients because it is time to clock out," she explains.
Malele's daily workload can only get bigger unless the resurgent cholera wave is kept in check.
"Since the devastating cyclone, cholera patients are increasing because thousands of survivors are living in crowded camps with limited access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation. With dry taps in many areas, most households depend on unprotected sources contaminated by waste from shattered latrines and settlements," she explains.
Mariam Andrea was taken ill by cholera. After spending five days at the main cholera treatment camp amid the battering cyclone, she returned to the facility when her two sets of twins contracted the fast-spreading, sanitation-related bacterial disease.
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30 March 2023
Cyclone Freddy aftermath brings diseases, healthcare gaps
The devastation caused by the cyclone in Madagascar, Malawi and Mozambique has increased the spread of cholera and malaria, as well as malnutrition.
Meanwhile, more than 300 health facilities have been destroyed or flooded in the three countries, limiting health care access.
The cyclone’s destruction increased public health risks including a surge in the spread of cholera, malaria, malnutrition, COVID-19, and other vaccine-treatable diseases.
WHO said that Malawi was still in the midst of its “worst-ever” cholera outbreak, although cases are declining. In Mozambique, cholera cases have more than doubled over the past week, to almost 2,400.
“With a double landfall in less than a month, the impact of Cyclone Freddy is immense and deepfelt”, said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa.
“While we work to understand the full extent of the devastation, our priority is to ensure that affected communities and families receive health assistance for immediate needs as well as to limit the risks of water-borne diseases and other infections spreading,”
Helping communities prepare for climatic hazards
Overall, flooding, and torrential rains have affected more than 1.4 million people in the three countries. WHO and partners are providing support in the form of cholera treatment centers, medical supplies, and health worker training.
WHO has provided U$7.9 million and sent over 60 experts to the affected countries to assist with the emergency response.
Around 184 tons of important medical supplies have been shipped to support the cyclone and cholera emergency response. In Malawi, WHO has redistributed cholera response operation centres to hotspot districts, to help disease control efforts.
“With the rise in climate-related health emergencies in Africa, it’s clear that more needs to be done to bolster preparedness to climatic hazards so that communities can better cope with the impacts of the devastating natural disasters,” said Dr Moeti.
The cholera outbreaks are currently affecting 14 African countries and are being made worse by extreme climate events and conflicts that leave countries more vulnerable. Many people have been forced to flee their homes, to face uncertain living conditions.
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07 March 2023
FROM POTENTIAL TO PROSPERITY
Globally, we are at a critical moment in history, facing growing crises, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate disruption, environmental degradation, conflicts, and the consequent global economic crisis along with rising inequalities. But we also have an enormous opportunity to transform the global economy and usher in an era of greater wellbeing and prosperity.
The world’s Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Malawi included, are in a race against time to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The remaining years need to usher in a new global partnership to ensure these 46 countries transform their economies and achieve accelerated and sustained social-economic development.
The Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to accelerate sustainable development in the places where international assistance is needed the most and to tap the full potential of the LDCs helping them make progress on the road to prosperity.
The LDC 5 is scheduled to take place in Doha-Qatar from 5th-9th March 2023 under the leadership of the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS). Hosted under the theme “From Potential to Prosperity,” the LDC5 conference will bring together world leaders, the private sector, the civil society, parliamentarians, and young people to advance new ideas and raise new pledges of support and spur delivery on agreed commitments through the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA).
This will be one of the biggest gatherings of world leaders in 2023, aiming to present an ideal opportunity to accelerate sustainable development and tap into the full potential of the LDCs.
The conference offers a platform to lift the world’s least developed nations, including Malawi, out of poverty by building momentum around the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action. Discussions will focus on key issues facing LDCs including climate change, financing for development, sustainable energy, resilience building, gender, youth empowerment, innovation and digitalization, trade, south-south cooperation, and knowledge sharing.
For Malawi, the DPoA systematically aligns with the Malawi 2063 and the desire to be an inclusively wealthy and self-reliant industrialized upper-middle-income country by the year 2063. It offers a pathway to strengthen national efforts to eradicate poverty and build capacity to leave no one behind; leverage the power of science, technology, and innovation to fight against vulnerabilities; support structural transformation as a driver of prosperity; enhance international trade and regional integration; address climate change, and environmental degradation among others.
Malawi is scheduled to handover the chair of the LDCs after completion of its tenure. One of the major milestones for the country during its tenure was overseeing the successful review of the 2011 -2020 Istanbul Programme of Action and the development and adoption of the DPoA.
Malawi’s participation at the LDC5 Conference and subsequent implementation of the DPoA is expected to help the country to accelerate delivery of the Malawi 2063 first 10-year implementation plan (MIP-1) by improving economic infrastructure to promote exports and take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), spur foreign direct investments, improve human capital productivity, promote vibrancy and dynamism of the private sector to graduate the country to middle-income status, and promote climate change management and ecosystem conservation.
As highlighted by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres ‘’the Doha Programme of Action reminds us that global recovery depends on LDCs getting the support they need.” The UN in Malawi is therefore committed to support the Government of Malawi and all stakeholders to accelerate achievement of Malawi 2063, the SDGs and realise Malawi’s vision of an inclusively wealthy and self-reliant industrialized upper-middle-income country by the year 2063 through this Programme of Action.
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Press Release
01 May 2023
UNITED NATIONS IN MALAWI ADVOCATES FOR DECENT WORK FOR ALL AND SUSTAINABLE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AMIDST NATURAL DISASTERS ON WORLD LABOUR DAY
On Labour Day, we applaud the contributions of workers to our society and economy. We also recognize all those whose efforts have advanced the rights of workers in Malawi and around the world.
I am honoured to bring you a message of solidarity and goodwill from the entire UN system in Malawi. This year's theme, “Natural Disasters a Threat to Livelihoods and Decent Work: Creating Decent Jobs and Extending Social Protection is key to Sustainable Recovery,” resonates strongly with all of us.
As we celebrate worker’s contributions, including those in the informal economy, we acknowledge the criticality of labour to achieving social and economic development. The African Union's Agenda 2063 and the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognize the importance of decent work in achieving sustainable development.
While we acknowledge the efforts of the Government of Malawi to create jobs and generate wealth, it is important to ensure the decency of the jobs created. Decent work can be summed up as "Promoting Jobs, Protecting People." We should create opportunities for everyone to get work that is productive and delivers a fair income, rights at work, social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and social integration. We should also ensure equal opportunities for women, men, young people and persons with disabilities in the workplace.
Without a doubt, climate-related shocks have set back Malawi’s growth trajectory. We are still tallying the impact of Cyclone Freddy, that devastated the southern region, including on jobs and social protection. The cyclone traumatized the nation, caused loss of life and livelihood, displacement, damage to infrastructure and property, disruptions to supply chains and markets, and overall has increased vulnerability to poverty and food insecurity. This has left a huge gap in terms of employment and small-scale businesses that will need to be rebuilt.
In the face of this, however, there are glimmers of hope. The strong leadership of the Government of Malawi in coordinating the relief and response must be commended. Ordinary Malawians have rallied to render support to their brothers and sisters. Countries in the region have come to the assistance of their neighbour. Development partners, NGOs and the international community are re-programming development support for Malawi. The UN pledges its support to implementation of the national response plan and the eventual recovery plan, to prioritize medium and long-term recovery interventions.
The commemoration of Labour Day calls us to reflect on the country’s development challenges and collectively plan how we can co-create home-grown solutions to recover better and build sustainable livelihoods for all.
On this day, I challenge all of our partners – in the Government, private sector, civil society, academia, the development community – to reaffirm their commitment to support national efforts to end child labour, reduce youth unemployment, enhance social protection for the most vulnerable and promote the creation of decent work for all to accelerate development and rescue the Sustainable Development Goals in Malawi.
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Press Release
14 April 2023
ONE MONTH AFTER THE PASSAGE OF CYCLONE FREDDY, THE WORLD NEEDS TO STEP-UP SUPPORT TO COMMUNITIES RAVAGED BY THE DISASTER IN MALAWI
(Lilongwe, 14 April 2023): One month after the passage of Tropical Cyclone Freddy—which swept through 15 districts in southern Malawi, destroying lives, livelihoods and homes—communities ravaged by the storm still require urgent assistance and support as they strive to survive the aftermath of the devastating floods and mudslides.
“In the weeks since this tragedy struck, I have been absolutely inspired by the many people who have helped their neighbours and fellow Malawians impacted by Tropical Cyclone Freddy,” said the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator, Rebecca Adda-Dontoh. “In support of these incredible communities and the Government-led response, 60 UN agencies and non-governmental organizations have provided life-saving assistance to people affected by the disaster. However, much more remains to be done.”
Since 12 March, close to 230,000 people have been reached with vital assistance and support, including food for the most vulnerable people, safe water and sanitation facilities and hygiene services, access to health care, including sexual and reproductive health, and emergency shelter, such as tents and tarpaulin. This has included the airlifting of relief, especially food, to areas that remain cut off or difficult to reach by road. However, with humanitarian partners’ Flash Appeal for Malawi less than 11 per cent funded, there are critical gaps in the response and additional contributions are urgently required for humanitarian partners to scale-up assistance, in support of the Government-led response. Humanitarian partners in Malawi are committed to a response that places people at the centre and have zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse.
“Despite our best efforts, tens of thousands of people are still without adequate shelter. We also need to step-up the provision of clean water, sanitation and hygiene, especially in light of the cholera outbreak. And we need to ensure that women and children, in particular, are protected from violence, exploitation and abuse, given the many risks generated by this crisis,” said Ms. Adda-Dontoh. “Our response in the first 30 days was made possible by the support of the international community, who have so far generously contributed US$7.6 million. I am today calling on donors to redouble their support to fill the critical shortfalls in funding so that we can do even more in the month ahead.”
Malawi is one of the countries that have been hardest-hit by the increased rainfall accompanying tropical cyclones in Southern Africa as a result of human-induced climate change, according to a recent research. Yet, the country contributes just 0.04 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Tropical Cyclone Freddy—which killed over 1,000 people—is a devastating reminder of the human cost of the global climate crisis.
For more information, please contact:
Malawi Resident Coordinator’s Office, Bennet Phunyanya, bennet.phunyanya@one.un.org, +265 884 307 026
OCHA Regional Office for Southern and Eastern Africa, Jane Kiiru, jane.kiiru@un.org, +265 988 381128
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Press Release
01 April 2023
The United Nations and Humanitarian Partners Call for US$70.6 Million to Provide Life-Saving Assistance to People in Malawi affected by the passage of Cyclone Freddy
The United Nations and Humanitarian Partners Call for US$70.6 Million to Provide Life-Saving Assistance to People in Malawi affected by the passage of Cyclone Freddy
(Lilongwe, 01 April 2023): The United Nations and humanitarian partners in Malawi are calling for US$70.6 million to assist 1.1 million people affected by the passage of the Tropical Cyclone Freddy weather system in the Southern Region in March 2023, in support of the Government-led response.
“Freddy’s passage has caused death, destruction, displacement and devastation on a horrifying scale at a time when Malawians were already facing high levels of food insecurity and a cholera outbreak,” said the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Malawi, Rebecca Adda-Dontoh. “Humanitarian partners continue to support the Government’s relief efforts following Cyclone Freddy, but the needs are truly enormous, with some Traditional Authorities in Nsanje and Phalombe Districts still unreachable by road,” Ms. Adda-Dontoh added.
The revised Malawi Flash Appeal outlines the contribution of humanitarian partners to the Government-led responses to floods and cholera in Malawi. The Flash Appeal aims to provide an integrated response—including shelter, nutrition, health, water, sanitation and hygiene, and protection—for those hardest-hit by the crisis, while ensuring communities are at the centre of the response.
“I visited displaced people in Blantyre and was inspired by their incredible resilience and determination to move forward, despite the tragedy they have endured,” the UN Resident Coordinator said. “Malawians have themselves mobilized to support one another in this time of tremendous need and we must step-up our solidarity as the international community.”
The passage of Cyclone Freddy left a trail of devastation across 15 districts in southern Malawi. At least 676 people have died, and this figure is expected to rise in the days ahead, while 659,278 people were displaced in 747 camps, according to the Government.
The Flash Appeal requirements for the Freddy response come on top of the $45.3 million called for earlier this year by humanitarian partners for the cholera response, bringing the total revised Flash Appeal to $115.9 million. Malawi continues to face its deadliest cholera outbreak in recent history and health concerns are rising following the passage of Cyclone Freddy.
The UN and its partners in Malawi urgently call on donors to fund the revised Flash Appeal and enable them to work swiftly in support of the Government-led response to assist communities affected by the passage of Cyclone Freddy and the cholera outbreak.
For more information, please contact:
Malawi Resident Coordinator’s Office, Bennet Phunyanya, bennet.phunyanya@one.un.org, +265 884 307 026
OCHA Regional Office for Southern and Eastern Africa, Jane Kiiru, jane.kiiru@un.org, +265 988 3811
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Press Release
19 March 2023
MALAWI: UN RELEASES US$5.5 MILLION TO ASSIST COMMUNITIES RAVAGED BY FLOODS
(Lilongwe, 19 March 2023): The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Martin Griffiths, has released US$5.5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to assist people affected by the Tropical Cyclone Freddy weather system in Malawi, as the devastating toll of floods and mudslides in the country’s Southern Region continues to rise.
Speaking after visiting flood-affected areas on 16 March, the United Nations Resident Coordinator for Malawi, Ms. Rebecca Adda-Dontoh, said: “The destruction and suffering that I witnessed in southern Malawi is the human face of the global climate crisis. The people I met with—many of whom have lost their homes and loved ones—have done nothing to cause this crisis. We, as the United Nations, stand in full solidarity with the people of Malawi at this tragic time and we call on the international community to do the same.”
Nearly 363,000 people are displaced and sheltering in over 500 camps across flood-affected areas of Malawi, and the death toll has risen to 447, with at least 282 people still missing, according to authorities on 18 March. Some 75,000 hectares of cropland has been flooded, just as farmers were about to harvest the only crop of the year. These figures are expected to rise in the days ahead as further information becomes available, especially in areas where people remain trapped by the flood waters and full information is not yet available.
The Government of Malawi is leading the response, with support from humanitarian partners. More than 1,500 people have been rescued from isolated locations and, as flood waters begin to subside, assistance is being dispatched to the hardest-hit districts.
“People are traumatized, and many have lost their homes, their belongings and their livelihoods,” said Ms. Adda-Dontoh. “In support of the Government-led response, through this CERF grant, we will aim to assist those who have been hardest-hit with life-saving and life-sustaining assistance, including water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), shelter and vital non-food items, food, healthcare and prevention of gender-based violence and child protection risks.“
Southern Malawi was affected after Tropical Cyclone Freddy made its second landfall in Mozambique on 11 March and moved over land as a tropical depression, bringing torrential rainfall, devastating floods and mudslides to Malawi from 12 March. Malawi is also still facing its deadliest cholera outbreak in recent history, and there is a high risk that the disease could spread in flood-affected areas
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Press Release
14 March 2023
UN MALAWI CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION TO SUPPORT PEOPLE AFFECTED BY THE TROPICAL CYCLONE FREDDY
(Lilongwe, 14 March 2023) In the wake of the declaration of a State of Disaster in the Southern Region by the President of the Republic of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera, the United Nations in Malawi is calling for urgent coordinated support for the people impacted by the destruction caused by Tropical Cyclone Freddy.
Tropical Cyclone Freddy has created an unprecedented crisis in Malawi.
The United Nations commends the Government of Malawi for its leadership of preparedness and response measures and calls upon partners to step up efforts to assist people in the districts most affected by the cyclone.
The UN has been rapidly mobilising support to address immediate needs pending a multi-sectoral assessment. Technical and financial support provided by the United Nations to establish an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has been critical in strengthening humanitarian coordination among Government, NGO and development partners. Furthermore, several UN Agencies have deployed personnel to the affected areas to support coordination of response and assessment efforts in information management and logistics.
UN is providing critical logistical support, including transportation for search and rescue operations as well as to ferry humanitarian workers, equipment and supplies to communities that have been cut off by flooding and landslides, as well as medical supplies and equipment to improve water and sanitation infrastructure to address immediate health needs, including preventing the spread of Cholera.
Protection of the most vulnerable populations and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse remain central to the work of the UN, including in humanitarian response. To this end, UN Agencies are providing food and non-food items such as shelter materials, tents and dignity kits to displaced people.
The UN stands with the people of Malawi and encourages national authorities, civil society, the private sector, political parties, the media, traditional leaders and religious leaders to ensure that at all times the rights and dignity of affected populations are respected.
The longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record, according to the World Meteorological Organisation, Freddy has left a trail of destruction and continues to cause extensive damage and loss of lives from torrential rains and strong winds in ten Districts, namely Nsanje, Chikwawa, Mulanje, Thyolo, Phalombe, Chiradzulu, Mwanza, Blantyre, Zomba and Neno.
Over the past three days, Cyclone Freddy has claimed the lives of more than 190 people and injured dozens more overstretching the health sector that is already overwhelmed by the worst Cholera outbreak in two decades. The full extent of the impact of the cyclone will be known when a multi-sectoral assessment is conducted.
The United Nations extends sincere condolences to the people of Malawi who have lost loved ones and property.
Ms. Rebecca Adda-Dontoh
United Nations Resident Coordinator in Malawi
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Currently, 24 agencies and specialized organizations of the United Nations are active in Malawi. Through its work, the UN is contributing to ensuring a better life for the people of Malawi.
For more information, contact: Associate Communications Officer in the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, Bennet Phunyanya on bennet.phunyanya@one.un.org or +265884307026
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