SCOTLAND & MALAWI JOINT PERMANENT COMMISSION OF CO-OPERATION (JPCC)
OFFICIAL REVIEW MEETING - 3rd JULY 2009 - LILONGWE, MALAWI
The meeting was opened by Mr. Ted Sitima-wina, Principal Secretary to the Ministry of Development Planning & Co-operation for the Government of Malawi (GoM) and Dr. Andrew Goudie, Chief Economic Adviser and Director General, Economy, for the Scottish Government (SG). The Malawi delegation included officials from across all ministries involved in the co-operation, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Co-operation as the lead co-ordinating ministry for the programme in Malawi and the Office of the President & Cabinet.
The GoM confirmed that following the Malawian Parliamentary and Presidential elections, they remain committed to the shared vision that exists between both governments. They stated that they hoped that the relationship between our two Governments would continue to grow for the mutual benefit of both countries and would help Malawi to pursue its vision of becoming a diversified middle income economy by 2020.
The SG also confirmed its ongoing commitment to the relationship with Malawi, and Dr. Goudie read out a short statement on behalf of Mr. Michael Russell, Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution. Dr. Goudie also highlighted the achievement of a more strategic and sustainable programme which encourages closer partnership and is clearly designed to reflect the aims and objectives of the GoM, whilst demonstrating the SG's commitment to tackling global poverty as a responsible nation in the world.
The meeting discussed the success of the more rigorous funding criteria and independent assessment process that have been implemented in Scotland. The monitoring and reporting procedures have been strengthened to ensure that the impact of projects can be measured more effectively and that we can more clearly demonstrate our contribution to combat extreme poverty and contribute to economic growth.
The SG also reported on their visits to seven projects, all of which have been supported from the International Development Fund. The purpose of these visits was to assess progress and ensure a continued focus on accountability. Project progress within each strand was then reviewed and future funding priorities discussed.
In summary, it was agreed that the governance strand is now showing real progress with some new initiatives developing in the justice sector which will be considered for further support. The sustainable economic development strand has also shown greater progress in the last year with some excellent projects underway and collaboration between projects beginning to emerge. It was agreed that further work around support for small and medium enterprises will be considered. On the health strand, it was agreed that projects addressing maternal health should be targeted for consideration and that a meeting with key stakeholders in Scotland working on maternal health should be held to draw on their expertise. On the education strand, it was agreed that projects are well-established and progressing well. Although the quality of education and performance measurement is currently being addressed in a number of projects, it was agreed that it may be worth considering further work around the quality of education and assessment. Additionally, the GoM confirmed their interest in working with the SG on climate change. Initial work has been supported by the SG on renewable energy and it was agreed that the potential for further work to address climate change would be considered over the next year. It was agreed that this was an area of opportunity particularly given the SG's Climate Change Bill.
It was agreed that officials from both governments would continue to co-ordinate activity in each country to encourage a greater focus on strategic programmes that build on existing success and to urge organisations to work collaboratively on larger programmes of work. This will avoid duplication of effort and ensure that programmes are delivering on the relevant priorities and policies of the GoM, in particular the Malawi Growth & Development Strategy (MGDS).
The Scottish Government