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Documents

Overview

Background

Malawi Electoral Support Project (MESP) 2022-2025 has been established with key national authorities and development partners in anticipation of the next Presidential and Legislative elections due in 2025. The proposed project is within the current United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2019-2023 (UNSDCF), Pillar 1 on “Peace, Inclusion and Effective Institutions” and the UNDP CPD Output 4.1: “Parliament, Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), Centre for Multi-Party Democracy (CMD) and selected non-State actors are enabled to perform core functions for inclusive participation and representation”. The project is based on the premise that technically capable, transparent, and inclusive institutions are essential for conducting credible and peaceful elections – a key output in the UNDP Strategic Plan.

The MESP project will be centered around the following three main strategic areas:

Priority Area 1 – Capacity: Strengthened capacity and preparedness of MEC, CMD and the MPS to effectively manage activities regarding the electoral processes in a credible manner through capacity-building and technical assistance.

Priority Area 2 – Inclusion: Improved participation and representation of women, youth, the elderly, People with Disabilities, and People with Albinism through activities intended to foster participation and ownership of the electoral processes.

Priority Area 3 – Peace: Reduced tensions and disputes regarding the electoral process through the establishment or strengthening and of existing mechanisms contributing to conflict prevention and mitigation.

Given Malawi’s very young population (80% below the age of 35 and with a median age of 17), much needs to be done to equip youths with the prerequisite skills and information to effectively and constructively engage in the political life of the country. This is why one of the goals of the Malawi Electoral Support Project is to improve youth participation in the electoral process and build on the 2019 and 2020 figures where youth (under 35) represented 72% of the voters. Research indicates that the current political environment has placed limited priority on youth concerns and, generally, the space allocated for youth participation in national governing structures is limited, often confined to Youth Committees. The youth also encounter obstacles in collectively advocating for their interests, and restricted access to decision-making roles and processes.

Addressing these barriers to youth participation in political processes requires a concerted civic education campaign to inform the young people of Malawi and strengthen their agency, representation, and empowerment in preparation for the 2025 Malawi General Election.