Malawian Volunteer For Development Task Force Parliamentary Briefing

• On 3 March 2012, 25 Malawian parliamentarians and 11 members of the Malawian Volunteer for Development Task Force (V4D-TF) participated in a parliamentary briefing meeting held at Crossroad Hotel. The meeting was supported by the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Programme and focused on sharing the declaration from the Southern Africa Conference on Volunteer Action for Development, held in Johannesburg from 17-19 October 2011. The meeting also aimed to create awareness of ongoing volunteer efforts in Malawi, which contribute towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

  The meeting provided a unique platform to position volunteer action as an indispensable tool for development and to lobby local parliamentarians for greater support of volunteer action in Malawi.

  
  Meeting participants agreed on the following action points to strengthen volunteer action in Malawi:
  
  • undertake a feasibility study on volunteerism in Malawi
  
  • have a meeting called by the Office of the President and Cabinet for all Ministries to discuss and agree on the Ministry which should undertake the coordination of the volunteer actions/agenda in the country
  
  • have the government set up a committee/taskforce to guide the development of the national policy on volunteerism in consultation and working with the VSA/VIO and V4D-TF
  
  • organise a study tour on volunteer policy for some members of V4D-TF and members of parliament to learn from at least one of the countries that has a volunteer policy
  
  • start developing a policy on volunteering for Malawi.

  Closing the meeting, the chairperson of the Social and Community Development Parliamentary Committee noted the importance of recognising the contribution of volunteering in Malawi. Furthermore, the chairperson assured participants that MPs endorse the need for a national policy on volunteering and that the Social and Community Development Parliamentary Committee will be available to provide support to the policy development process.

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