A coalition comprising of 24 youth-led organisations and networks has called on the Malawian government and development partners to include youths in the fight against Covid-19. The coalition which calls itself the Youth Platform on Covid-19 (YPC), stated in a press statement, ‘We, the youth who constitute a significant proportion of this country‘s population, call upon the government, development partners and stakeholders to ensure that they leverage the field of play by making sure that the Ministry of Youth and other line ministries, youth organisations and networks, other political parties, Members of Parliament, the Judiciary and legal minds, student unions, child and youth rights defenders, faith-based organisations, community and religious leaders, the private sector, women organisations/groups, and trade unions representatives are included in an all-inclusive committee to ensure engagement by all players in an [impartial] manner on Covid-19’.
The coalition also highlighted the government’s failure to demonstrate high-level transparency and accountability in its use of resources from taxpayers and donors in response to the pandemic.
However, they called on development partners, CSOs, and stakeholders to intensify checks and balances on domestic resources and partners‘ investments on Covid-19 to ensure that resources are efficiently used and go to essential services and activities.
The coalition further urged the government to implement an all-inclusive approach in the response to Covid-19 by developing disability user-friendly IEC materials and ensuring universal access to health and services by all. ‘The government should provide free, universal public health, water, and sanitation services to all underprivileged families. Ensure that workers in the informal economy, women, asylum-seekers, migrants have equal access to public health and other public services without discrimination’, they added.
The statement has been endorsed by Activista Youth Network (AYN), Change for Us (CFU), Christian Youth Association of Malawi (CYAMA), Child Rights Information and Documentation Centre (CRIDOC), Youth Initiative for Sustainable Development (YISD), Ekwendeni Counseling Youth Organisation (EYCO), Action Hope Malawi (AHM), Likhumbula Youth Organisation, National Association of Young People Living with HIV (NAYPLHIV), St Peters Youth Organisation (SPYO), Kandoli Youth Organisation (KYO), Community Initiative for Social Empowerment (CISE), Malawi Human Rights of Women and Girls with Disabilities (MHRWGD), amongst others.
Source: Nyasa Times
Photo source: Rwanda Government
