By Moses Magadza

The Parliament of Malawi has signed up to the third phase of a SIDA-funded Sexual Reproductive Health Rights, HIV and AIDS Governance Project.

Malawi becomes the sixth national parliament – after the Parliaments of Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique and Lesotho – to implement the project that was initiated by the SADC Parliamentary Forum and is open to all 15 SADC Member States.

The First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Malawi, Honourable Madalitso Kazombo, welcomed the Project when he and SADC PF Secretary General Ms Boemo Sekgoma signed an Implementation Agreement in Lilongwe on 6 March, 2024.

He said SRHR, HIV and Governance issues should be approached from a human rights perspective, with participation, inclusion and accountability being central principles.

The three-year project began in November 2023 and is scheduled to end in October 2026. SIDA has provided US$5 million for the Project.

Hon Kazombo noted that the launch was taking place when Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique recently experienced an outbreak of Cholera and climate change was aggravating the acute global upsurge of the disease.

“There is no doubt that the climate crisis is one of the key challenges of our time and the time for action is now,” Hon Kazombo said.

The lawmaker said an often-overlooked aspect of the climate crisis is how it intersects with SRHR.  

He said impacts of this intersection were extensive, and included reduced or unavailable services, harmful impacts on maternal health due to heat exposure and increased incidence of sexual and gender-based violence in situations of humanitarian crises or displacement.

“We must examine the impacts of climate change issues on SRHR, of climate action on SRHR, and the role SRHR plays in climate action. Decision-makers and SRHR and climate change advocates can use this evidence to raise awareness and ensure climate related policies and practices employ a rights-based approach that protects and promotes individuals’ rights to Sexual and Reproductive Health,” he suggested.

The legislator said the third phase of the project in Malawi would build on the successes and lessons from the second phase.

“I am confident that Parliamentarians will continue the lively engagement on SRHR issues and ensure that Malawi seizes this opportunity to fill current legal and policy gaps,” he said.

The Clerk of the Parliament of Malawi, Mrs Fiona Kalemba said the second phase of the project posted impressive results as shown by an escalation in SRHR parliamentary deliberations and MPs championing SRHR issues.

She noted that family planning budgets had been progressively increased in Malawi, with allocations rising from MK200 million in 2021-2022 to MK475 million in 2022-2023.

“Oversight interventions by MPs ensured that line ministries, development partners and Civil Society Organisations are held accountable to SRHR issues of access to Family Planning, maternity services, medicines, child marriages, GBV etc.

Mrs Kalemba said the multi-stakeholder partnership framework under the project brought MPs, line ministries and CSOs together to address national SRHR and HIV/AIDS issues.

“We believe this Project will continue providing MPs the necessary support to champion SRHR issues through their legislative, representative and oversight functions as mandated by the Constitution,” she said.

SADC-PF Secretary-General Ms. Boemo Sekgoma commended Malawi for helping to nurture collaboration among SADC parliaments.

“It was in Blantyre, Malawi, in August 1997 when the SADC Summit of Heads of States and Government approved the establishment of the SADC Parliamentary Forum.

“Malawi is thus the birthplace of the SADC-PF which has grown into a significant platform for parliamentary diplomacy and dialogue on regional issues of common interest,” she said.

She recalled that in August 2021, the 41^st SADC Heads of State and Government summit met again in Lilongwe, to approve the transformation of the Forum into a Regional Parliament.

She also noted that the 51^st Plenary Assembly of the Forum was held in Lilongwe, Malawi in July 2021 and adopted the SADC Model Law on Public Financial Management (PFM).

“That Model Law – the first of its kind in the world – has been hailed for linking Sustainable Development Goals to the budget process, among others.”

Ms Sekgoma concurred that Malawi had done well under the previous phase of the Project.

“We are proud to note that in this year’s national budget, Malawi allocated 12% to health as part of implementing the Abuja Declaration target of allocating at least 15% of the national budget each year to improving healthcare systems.”

Turning to the Strategic Plan of the Forum (2024-28), the SG said it emphasizes capacity building of national Parliaments on emerging themes including gender, SRHR and climate justice while consolidating leadership of the Forum on normative frameworks and promoting sound fiscal governance.

The Forum would ensure that MPs are equipped with the right tools and competencies to respond to the region’s challenges and aspirations, she pledged. 

She stressed that the Project was not confined to SRHR but seeks to examine cross-linkages with all Portfolio Committees of Parliament and promote accountability and transparency.

“Therefore, all Committees of Parliament can and should interact with the Project,” she urged, adding that the Project would help the Forum promote regional integration by bringing countries together through harmonised legal norms for closer economic cooperation.  

On the long-awaited SADC Regional Parliament, Ms Sekgoma revealed that 10 SADC countries had signed the Amendment to the SADC Treaty to Establish the SADC Parliament.  

“Two more signatures are required to reach a majority of three quarters of SADC Member States for the Amendment to garner legal effect,” she told her audience.

Beyond parliament, development partners in Malawi have welcomed the Project and pledged their support to implementation efforts.

Ms Naomi Mnthali, a representative of UNESCO, said her agency had previously partnered with the Ministry of Education, youth organizations and the Project to ensure that MPs were fully appraised on issues around SRHR.

“As UNESCO, we are excited that this work is going into a new phase because we recognise that in a country like Malawi where almost 60% of the population comprises young people,

“SRHR plays a very important role in ensuring that the country realises the aspirations expressed through Vision 2063,” Ms Mnthali said.

She added: “We have no doubt that working with MPs will bring about legislative and budgetary solutions which will ensure that adolescents and young people in Malawi are supported in the area that affects them most – sexual reproductive health.”

(C) TPA