The United Nations (UN) has assured Malawi of continued support in a bid to improve lives of Malawians.
New Resident Coordinator of the United Nations and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) made the remarks when presenting her letters of credence to President Peter Mutharika.
The Resident Coordinator, Maria Jose Torres Macho, has replaced Mia Seppo who completed her mission to Malawi in September last year.
After meeting with Mutharika, Torres Macho said the UN stands ready to partner with Malawi’s national institutions to overcome challenges related to high population growth, climate change, unemployment and corruption.
“The UN has a long-standing cooperation with the Government of Malawi, which has yielded several gains such as the continued consolidation of Malawi’s democracy and promotion of human rights for all people, including those traditionally left behind in the development agenda,” said Torres Macho.
She commended government for developing the new Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) III, which she said presents a key opportunity to reduce poverty and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the country.
Prior to her appointment as the highest-ranking UN official in Malawi, Torres Macho was UN Senior Post Conflict Adviser in Colombia.
She also served as Head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Colombia and Deputy Head of Office for OCHA in the occupied Palestinian Territory for eight years.
Torres Macho studied Law in Spain and holds a Master in European Studies by the Pontificia University of Salamanca, a Master in International Relations by the Free University of Brussels, and a Master of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law (LLM) by Essex University.
Malawi hosts 20 agencies and specialised organisations of the United Nations.
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