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Malawi: International human rights mission to study hunger emergency

Media Advisory

MONTREAL – April 13, 2006 – An international fact-finding mission arrives in Malawi next week to address the ongoing hunger emergency in the southern African country. The mission, comprised of human rights experts from Ghana , Kenya and Malawi , Canada and Germany , is co-organized by Rights & Democracy ( Canada ) and FIAN International ( Germany ).

The week-long inquiry, which takes place from April 17 to 23, supports an ongoing initiative by a broad coalition of Malawian civil society organizations working to ensure that both donor countries and the Government of Malawi respect commitments outlined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, including those related to the human right to food.

The mission comes at a time when a massive food crisis has again taken hold across Malawi , leaving almost five million people hungry and in desperate need of assistance. Despite the implementation of various policies and programmes over the past decade – many externally imposed - the food crisis in Malawi persists and threatens to become an annual hardship in a country already struggling to survive amidst endemic poverty and the HIV/AIDS crisis.

While in Malawi , the members of the fact-finding mission will meet with a variety of stakeholders, including representatives of civil society, government officials and international donor organizations. The mission delegation will also conduct site visits to various communities and food distribution centers. The mission’s preliminary conclusions will be released at a press conference in Lilongwe on April 21 and recommendations will be made public in a final report.

Malawi Fact-Finding Mission Delegates (Biographical Data)