In the coming lean season Malawi is likely to face its largest humanitarian crisis of the decade. This dire situation raises the question of what must be done to protect the most vulnerable from the lasting effects of acute undernutrition, as well as how to sustainably address chronic hunger and undernutrition in this country. Compact2025, a global initiative for ending hunger and undernutrition by 2025, explores the knowledge gaps and opportunities for addressing these challenging questions. Launched in November 2015, the initiative is currently engaging with four countries— Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Malawi and Rwanda—to help develop and implement strategic actions that accelerate the end of hunger and under nutrition.
The initiative was launched in Malawi on May 26th, 2016. The Vice President Dr. Saulos Chilima, a member of the C2025 Leadership Council, opened the Malawi Roundtable Discussion in Lilongwe, where over 100 stakeholders held discussions on the challenges and the way forward. We are happy to present a synopsis of these discussions, as well as an overview of outcomes of all four country roundtables, as well as a revised scoping report outlining the current opportunities and challenges for ending hunger and undernutrition in Malawi.
As detailed in the Malawi roundtable synopsis, the next steps of the process include setting up a Knowledge and Innovation Hub in Malawi to support country goals, processes, and programs with demand-driven research and innovation for the purpose of accelerating progress. It will also help to collect data, strengthen capacities, and enhance tracking and monitoring and evaluation systems. A follow-up roundtable is planned for next year to reconvene stakeholders, evaluate progress, exchange experiences, identify action gaps, and fine-tune next steps toward ending hunger and undernutrition by 2025 in Malawi.
