CHRR Hails Chakwera for reactivating Open Government partnership

The Center for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) has heaped praise on the President of the Republic, Dr Lazarus Chakwera for his commitment in reactivating Malawi’s membership to open Government (OPG) partnership.

In a statement released on Tuesday, CHRR executive Michael Kaiyatsa said the move is more compelling considering that much of the plunder against Malawi involves international transactions and externalisation of resources.

CHRR boss said this is a chance for Malawi to assess itself and start submitting reports as it has not submitted any country assessment report since becoming a member.

“CHRR urges Chakwera to walk the talk on his commitment by making sure that an action plan is developed with public consultation within the five months period, and that government commits to independent reporting on its progress going forward,” reads part of the statement.

Kaiyatsa further says CHRR is willing and stands ready to throw its support behind the government in the process.

The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral initiative that aims to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance.

Malawi joined the partnership in 2013 and has since submitted only one National Action Plan running from 2016 to 2018. The country has not submitted any other action plan since then and no country assessment report.