11/08/1998

Mr. President,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

First allow me to thank the Government of Portugal for their kind hospitality and to congratulate them for hosting the conference in conjunction with the United Nations system. I feel greatly honoured to address the first World Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth Affairs in this historic country, Portugal.

Mr. President allow me to join my fellow Ministers in exalting the importance of this Conference in Malawi, the issue of youths is very important because young men and women constitute 64 % of the total population It is for this reason that Malawi places great value on its young people. Young people in Malawi are high on the development agenda. That is why the Government launched a National Youth Policy in 1996. This was as a result of a series of consultations with various stakeholders including the youth themselves.

The National Youth Policy bears testimony to the fact that young people in Malawi constitute a vast human resource that needs to be tapped. The Policy provides a blue print for empowering youth so that they can realize their dreams. What should be known, Mr President is that youth empowerment is an exciting and important campaign at the dawn of the next millennium.

Mr. President, young people feel empowered when they are able to make their own choices and are aware of the implications of these choices. Coming from a developing country, young people in Malawi are faced with a host of challenges. However, the Government is committed to bail these youths from the ravages of unemployment, drug and substance abuse and the vicious cycle of poverty.

Mr. President, realizing that education is a useful tool for youth empowerment , Malawi Government has introduced free education for both sexes at primary level. However, at secondary school level, it has introduced free education for girls through a project known as Girls Attainment in Basic Literacy and Education (GABLE). Both initiatives are meant to increase the access of all children to basic forms of education.

Mr. President, in addition to this there is the Family Life Education ( FLE ) which empowers youths by teaching them about their reproductive rights. It is felt that it is important for youths to know such dangers as teenage pregnancies, Sexually Transmitted Diseases ( STDs) HIV / AIDS, drug and substance abuse, etc. Again through an out of school youth skills trayning project, the youth are equipped with daily living skills to enable them to become responsible citizens.

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, there is also a Youth Development and Credit Scheme in Malawi which gives capital to young men and women who decide to venture into small scale business.This programme, which has received considerable support from the Commonwealth Credit Initiative has proved to be a success,

In order to effectively co-ordinate all these programmes and activities of young people, the Government of Malawi has set up various strutures. For example, at Cabinet level there is a Committee on Youth matters. Then there is also the Ministry of Women, Youth and Community Services which is responsible for technical matters, this is the umbrella Ministry for the National Youth Council.

Mr President, the National Youth Council is very important because as of now it coordinates the work of about 50 youth NGOs which are operating in various fields. The Government has, through the formation of the Council shown the much needed trust otinvolving young people in decision making. My council is basically made up of young people.

Mr. President this scenario is good because it is important to note that youth work ought to be done by and be for the young people themselves. It is only when young people are given responsibility today that they can effect necessary changes in future. In Malawi, we realize that young people's participation in development is central to Malawi's development, for it is in the youth that our engine for socio-economic development lies.

Mr. President, it is really we, people in the Government that should take a lead in involving young people in decision making now - for if not now, then when ? And if not us, then who ?

At this juncture allow me to call upon fellow government officials to involve young people fully not only in the formulation and implementation of youth policies but also in all other national policies.

I understand that delegates to the World Youth Forum in Braga, Portugal, bad this to say and I quote " Show me that I might remember, tell me that I might forget and involve me that I might understand" unquote.

Mr. President. On behalf of the Malawi Government, I wish delegates to this historic conference successful deliberations.

Thank you!