The Minister of Civic Education and National Unity has said Malawi government will remain steadfast in its support of peace within the country as well as with our neighbours. He was speaking at the Official opening 2020 international day of peace commemoration conference on Monday at BICC in Lilongwe.
International day of peace was set aside by the United Nations General Assembly, as a day dedicated to advancing the ideals of peace. The day is being commemorated under the global theme: “Shaping Peace Together.”However, Malawi decided to commemorate the day under the localized theme: “Shaping Peace Together for Malawi”.
Mtambo said this year’s commemoration has come at a time when Malawians have ushered in a new Tonse Alliance Government, which has renewed commitment to unite Malawians as one of the five principles of the current leadership’s Super Hi5 Agenda. Govt has established the Ministry of Civic Education and National Unity and gave it a mandate of creating a conducive environment for civic empowerment of Malawians and promoting sustainable peace and unity among them for sustainable national development
At the event which was also attended by United Nations Resident Coordinator Madame Maria Jose Torres, Mtambo said this commemoration is coming at a time when Government, with support from the UN, has completed the process of developing a Bill to formally establish the Malawi Peace and Unity Commission as a national pillar for peace building, social cohesion and conflict resolution. The Bill which in due course will be tabled in Parliament for enactment will see infrastructure for peace for Malawi rolled out. It will also see the Malawi Peace and Unity Commission and District Peace Committees established to work in collaboration with all stakeholders to ensure that the country remains peaceful and united.
The minister also pinpointed a number of areas that government through his ministry have been working on. He highlighted that The Department of Civic Education has been revamped to take on a more proactive role of coordinating transformative civic education and engagement of Malawians to participate in governance as a way of enhancing national unity and peace. He also announced that a Department of National Unity has been established in the Ministry to work towards enhancement of national unity through promotion of patriotism, national identity, national symbols, and resolution of conflicts through collaborative means. The Department is also housing the National Peace Architecture initiative, which was previously housed in the Office of President and Cabinet (OPC).
He reassured people that Tonse administration will do all it can to make sure that peace prevails not only in Malawi but throughout the SADC region as well. Mtambo said the past hasn’t been pleasant as far as peace is concerned but that a new beginning is needed.
“I will not labour you to reflect on old history but let us critically look at our recent past. We all know that the birth of the third republic we are talking about today has been preceded by an unfair electoral process, court battles, nationwide protests, attacks and threats against human rights defenders and political opponents, mob justice, abuse of government institutions for selfish political interests, corruption and unequitable distribution of resources”. Mtambo said It is not a secret that Malawi national peace was threatened by such a background.
The minister took time to commend the UN Family in Malawi for the unwavering support that they continue to render towards the development of the country. The Ministry of Civic Education and National Unity has inherited a National Peace Architecture coordinating structure, which is wholly supported by the UN family in Malawi
