MALAWI: MCC THRESHOLD SUCCESS STORIES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LILONGWE 000845 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/S ELIZABETH PELLETREAU DEPT PLEASE PASS TO USTR FOR F LIZER MCC FOR MALIK CHAKA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EAID PGOV MI SUBJECT: MALAWI: MCC THRESHOLD SUCCESS STORIES LILONGWE 00000845 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. Summary: The 20.92 million USD Millennium Challenge Threshold Program in Malawi has achieved its goals using targeted projects across multiple sectors to combat corruption. The most recent milestone was the establishment of an internal affairs unit at the Malawi Police Service after an 18-month long training program to tackle corruption within the service. This follows the Threshold Program's successful efforts to restart the Media Council of Malawi, after five years of inactivity, to build journalistic professionalism and ethics. The legislative strengthening component of the Threshold Program assisted the National Assembly in providing initial salary support and training for seven new clerks. The Government of Malawi subsequently assumed the responsibility of paying these salaries six months ahead of schedule, thus demonstrating a commitment to sustaining a robust oversight capacity in the National Assembly. End Summary. Internal Affairs Unit Stands Up -------------- ¶2. The International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program's (ICITAP) 18-month program to help the Malawi Police Service (MPS) develop an internal affairs manual and create an internal affairs unit culminated on October 10 with the appointment of Deputy Commissioner of Police Pike Mpahaka as the first commander of the newly formed body. The primary mission of the unit is to investigate allegations of misconduct allegedly committed by members of the police. The internal affairs unit commander is directly responsible to the Inspector General of the Police (IGP). ¶3. The program began in early July 2006, with meetings between ICITAP and the IGP in which the MPS indicated a strong interest in starting an internal affairs unit. ICITAP and the MPS first developed an internal affairs manual and then implemented a series of training programs based on needs identified jointly by MPS and ICITAP. Training focused on a variety of topics, including officer conduct, the development of policies and procedures, and capacity-building in internal affairs investigations. The program was designed for sustainability through "train-the-trainer" components. Strong leadership in the MPS combined with USG assistance is making a vital contribution in the fight against corruption in Malawi. Media Council Restarts -------------- ¶4. The Media Council of Malawi was first established in November 1996, but dissolved in 2002 due to lack of local ownership and fiscal mismanagement. With support from MCC, Casals & Associates (C&A) initiated a consultative process to facilitate the establishment of a Media Council. In order to broaden the donor base, C&A also enlisted financial support from the British High Commission to fund the consultative process that included focus group meetings with the stakeholders. These discussions led to a widely attended stakeholders meeting funded by MCC, to identify common goals and strengths, and to agree on a common platform for the resuscitation of the Media Council. As a result of these efforts, the Media Council was re-established in February 2007. ¶5. Media practitioners agreed to resuscitate the Media Council to provide a code of ethics regulated by a professional body. The goal of the organization is to guide the way for proprietors of media institutions, publishers, broadcasters and others to maintain the highest standards of professional conduct in executing their duties. The newly revived Media Council of Malawi is now positioned to play a leading role in nurturing and promoting professionalism in this sector. C&A is now working closely with the Media Council on a plan to ensure sustainability once the TCP ends. National Assembly Committee System Grows Stronger -------------- -------------- ¶6. The State University of New York (SUNY),with support from MCC, is working to strengthen the Committee Department of the Malawi National Assembly so that it can effectively provide balanced oversight of the executive branch of government. The project initially committed to pay the salary for three committee clerks for approximately 20 months to support committee work in budget analysis, finance and economic matters. Given the high number of functioning committees, SUNY and the National Assembly agreed that more were needed to make a significant impact. Following consultations among key stakeholders, SUNY agreed to salary support for seven clerks, ensuring that each committee would have its own dedicated clerk. ¶7. The government of Malawi (GOM) approved the creation of the seven new committee clerk positions effective August, 2007. They also agreed to assume the salary costs for these positions at that time, well ahead of the original agreement to assume the costs at LILONGWE 00000845 002.2 OF 002 the end of the MCC Threshold Program. For the first time since the demise of the single-party era in 1994, all of the committees in the National Assembly were able to meet. In part, this is due to the availability of clerks to service these meetings. The Committee Department is now able to plan its work on a quarterly basis and reports are being produced in a timely manner for tabling and adoption in the House. Targeted Programs Increasing Capacity -------------- ¶8. Comment: Through its targeted, multi-sector approach, the MCC Threshold Program in Malawi is achieving successes in building capacity to fight corruption and increasing financial oversight. The response of Malawian leaders and other stakeholders has been uniformly positive. Threshold Program projects also appear to be sustainable due to the use of the "train-the-trainer" approach, and focusing on government and other stakeholder financial buy-in to promote future funding and sustainability. EASTHAM