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Scotland and Malawi sign co-operation agreement
03/11/2005
Scotland and Malawi today signed a co-operation agreement offering practical help to the African nation in areas such as health, education, and economic development.
First Minister Jack McConnell and President Bingu wa Mutharika completed the pact at a ceremony in Bute House in Edinburgh which recognises historic links between the two countries dating back to the 19th century.
President Mutharika said: "Perhaps for the first time, a country in the north, Scotland, is twinning up with a country in the south, Malawi, to look at problems more closely. I think this sets a new pattern in global relations. If others could emulate this example, we believe that the issues of poverty, hunger and famine could be tackled more effectively."
Co-operation Agreement
Scotland &Malawi
Scotland and Malawi have a long history of collaboration, particularly in health and education. Both countries share a wish to build upon this history by actively engaging through partnership. This is a reciprocal partnership based upon sharing experiences and skills. It is an opportunity to learn from each other and to recognise the needs of our two countries.
This document outlines an agreement to co-operate on a number of broad streams, namely, civic governance, sustainable economic development, health and education. The guiding principles underpinning this agreement are as follows:
- All engagement will be consistent with current government priorities and existing policies and activity
- Engagement will build upon the context of the long standing friendship between both countries, recognising the benefits of learning and sharing from one another
Scotland andMalawi will develop and increase collaboration across the following broad themes:
Civic governance and society, in particular:
- To strengthen governance by working with others to develop schemes for sharing government and parliamentary experience on both a local and central government level, and for sharing legal and financial expertise by engaging with national bodies and civil society
- To share experiences of addressing inequality and the needs of vulnerable groups in society by supporting mechanisms for exchanging expertise and mentoring initiatives
- To develop mechanisms for strengthening the media by facilitating links between key partners
- To investigate innovative ways of developing and using technology, with particular reference to remote and rural communities
Sustainable economic development, in particular:
- To initiate discussion on how best to stimulate enterprise by facilitating the exchange of skills and business expertise in relevant sectors
- To explore opportunities to stimulate tourism, including between the two countries, by encouraging links
- To investigate potential collaboration between agricultural bodies
Health, in particular:
- To contribute to the improvement of maternal health by supporting the increase in the number of trained midwives and facilitating the exchange of knowledge and skills required for dealing with obstetric and gynaecological emergencies
- To increase the capacity of Health Colleges (Government and CHAM) by developing in-country teaching support for trainee clinical officers, nurses, midwives, nurse technicians and allied health professionals
- To support the Collegeof Medicinein the development of specialist medical training for health professionals and facilitate mechanisms for the exchange of medical and health management expertise
- To support HIV/ AIDS prevention, treatment and care by developing partnerships for sharing expertise (especially around health education) and assisting in addressing human resource capacity in services
- To support communities to access and deliver health services at local and district level through support of local community initiatives, especially those focussing on child health, disability and gender equality
Education, in particular:
- To help build capacity in education by further developing teacher exchange programmes and supporting the development of training of trainers for local delivery
- To support the exchange of knowledge and skills by facilitating academic links and twinning initiatives between local government, schools and higher education institutions
- To explore how best to address access to and availability of quality education, with particular attention to remote and rural communities
- To initiate discussion on the provision of vocational education and training by encouraging the sharing of best practice and expertise and the development of links with Further Education
- To encourage equality in the participation of education by supporting the development of initiatives to empower vulnerable groups
…and other areas of mutual interest that may emerge.
An action plan will be developed in discussion with key partners outlining specific actions and commitments for each theme for the next two and five years.
Signed in Edinburgh, November 2005
Rt. Hon Jack McConnell MSP, First Ministerof Scotland
His Excellency Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika, President of the Republicof Malawi