The second edition of the Women’s Manifesto has been launched in Lilongwe, with a call for women in the country to be organised and take action for the manifesto to be effective as the nation prepares for September 16 polls.
The revised document, which is said to be an advocacy tool on issues affecting women, now has 15 thematic areas from 11, and they highlight women’s desires and what duty bearers should do to put them into practice.
Speaking during the launch, EU Ambassador to Malawi, Runne Skinnebach, says he is optimistic that political parties will look critically into the manifesto to integrate women’s rights in their policies. He says there is need for stakeholders to move from rhetoric and take action for the manifesto to be effective as the country prepares for elections.
Executive Director for WORLEC, Maggie Kathewera Banda, says going forward, they will engage political party leaders ,civil society organisations and women themselves to make them understand the manifesto and ensure they play their part in advancing the gender agenda.
Meanwhile, keynote speaker, former Minister of International Relations of South Africa, who is also Chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Dr Grace Mandisa Naledi Pandor, has encouraged women in the country to be organised inorder to have a collective voice.
Pandor has stressed the need to monitor progress of the manifesto for tangible impact.
The Women’s Manifesto, among others, encompasses what women would want to see changing in the aspects of education, leadership, politics, governance, agriculture, peace and security, access to justice, violence, and climate change.
Malawi launched its first women’s manifesto in 2019.
