By Donald Zimba

Lilongwe, May 26, Mana: The Government of Malawi has reaffirmed its dedication to advance gender equality and empowerment of women and girls.

Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Jean Sendeza, made the commitment when she officially opened the Post-Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) 69 Stakeholder Engagement Meeting held in Lilongwe.

Sendeza emphasized on the importance of unity in addressing gender issues in the country.

“We have to focus on real issues that are affecting our people,” she stated, highlighting the need for collaborative efforts to achieve gender equality in Malawi.

The meeting aimed to align Malawi’s legal and policy frameworks with the CSW69 Political Declaration, and key recommendations discussed included developing a Malawi-specific action plan for 2025–2028 in partnership with UN Women; and establishing a task force to monitor implementation with annual public reporting.

The meeting also discussed facilitation of the ratification of the African Union Convention on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls (CEVAWG); accelerating the dissemination and implementation of national strategies on gender policy; ending child marriages, and male engagement.

Additionally, the meeting highlighted the need to strengthen domestic financing for gender equality initiatives and improve data management for evidence-based policy reforms.

UN Women Malawi Representative, Letty Chiwara, noted that “poverty wears a woman’s face” and she outlined the critical role adequate and transparent financing play in achieving gender equality.

Chiwara acknowledged the challenges ahead, but she described the “the journey towards gender equality as being not an easy one, yet worth taking.”

The stakeholder engagement meeting serves as a platform to develop a roadmap for implementing the CSW69 recommendations, aiming to accelerate progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment in Malawi.