Ms. Joyce Msuya, Assistant-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator: Statement at the Malawi Partners Conference 2023: Building Resilience and Sustainable Development in the face of Shocks

New York, 19 September 2023

Mr. President, Excellencies, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen, I truly appreciate the opportunity to participate in today’s event, an impressive milestone speaking volumes to the leadership and commitment of the Government of Malawi to ensure a prosperous future for its people.

Over the past few years, Malawi has faced more than its fair share of natural disasters and extreme weather events – something that is getting worse, year on year, as a result of the growing climate crisis.

Most recently, families and communities across Southern and Eastern Malawi were devastated by Tropical Cyclone Freddy, the longest-lasting tropical cyclone ever recorded worldwide.

In your words, Mr President, it was the worst disaster in the history of Malawi.

Our thoughts and condolences go to the victims, survivors, families, and communities impacted by this tragedy.

Yet, let me also use this opportunity to congratulate the Government of Malawi for its swift action in developing and leading a coordinated response.

A response that also ensured that the Cholera outbreak, which ran wild following Freddy’s rampage, is now under control with zero new cases reported. This is laudable indeed. Sadly, Cyclone Freddy was not an isolated event. It came on the heels of Cyclone Idai in 2019, Cyclone Eloise in 2021, and Cyclone Gombe and Tropical Storm Ana in 2022.

These extreme weather events had already caused severe damage to vital health, water and sanitation infrastructure, as well as to roads, airports and other important networks.

The need to reconstruct infrastructure time and time again has jeopardized development gains.

The cost of repairing infrastructure following Cyclone Idai amounted to more than US$ 220 million. The same amount needed by the Government of Malawi to fully implement its plans for climate resilient infrastructure, to secure market access, facilitate continued trade and provide clean water.

But even these costs paled in comparison with what was needed to repair infrastructure following Cyclone Freddy. A whopping $750 million, which could have been used to protect the Malawian people from future shocks through early warning systems and risk reduction measures, such as flood control – investments that would have saved many lives ahead of Cyclone Freddy.

The scale, frequency and cost of climate shocks underline the need for increased development support to build resilience, strengthen preparedness and accelerate recovery. Instead of being caught in a vicious circle of destruction and reconstruction.

We are already working with the Government of Malawi on an anticipatory action framework to ensure swift action in response to the threat of drought.

At the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, we have heard firsthand the critical need for this kind of anticipatory action. As a woman in Salima relayed to us: As livelihoods turns to dust, young women are forced into early marriages for survival. The result is fewer years in school, a lack of employment opportunities and enormous wasted potential.

If we work together, we can avoid this grim scenario. Bolstering recovery and resilience can place the country on a path of economic transformation.

The United Nations in Malawi, led by Resident Coordinator Rebecca Adda-Dontoh, along with other partners, is committed to supporting the Government of Malawi in this effort.

The private sector plays a pivotal role in these initiatives. It is commendable that Malawi is already capitalizing on the critical role of the private sector in expanding the economy by leveraging the benefits and opportunities availed by regional and continental free trade markets.

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, in short, we need to act collectively – humanitarians, development partners and the private sector – to ensure the transformational development of Malawi. To ensure adequate resources are mobilized and translated into lasting results.

Let me conclude by assuring you that the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is your committed partner. Let us work hand in hand - together with local actors and organizations –towards a resilient and prosperous Malawi.

‘Tili nanu limodzi’: We are in this together.

Thank you.