Under reporting on gender related cases whether positive or negative, ministry of gender says, remains a challenge in the implementation of policies and interventions for achieving gender justice and inclusion in the country.

Deputy minister Halima Daudi said this in Lilongwe at the unveiling of a digital platform by Women’s Legal Resource Center dubbed Genger Observatory and Gender Tracker for monitoring progress on commitments for gender justice and inclusion particularly under the second edition of Women Manifesto.

Wolrec executive director Maggie Kathewera Banda said the platform unveiled with support from the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, will help amplify women’s voices in the formulation of evidence-based policies and interventions on gender related matters.

Women’s Legal Resource Center says gaps in monitoring implementation of commitments in the first edition of Women manifesto compelled them to develop the Gender Observatory and gender Tracker for full realization of goals in gender justice and women empowerment in the country.

“These Gender Observatory & Gender tracker are a result of the work we have done on Women Manifesto…so one of the things we realized (when launching the second edition) was that we didn’t have a proper monitoring mechanism to track the commitments that presidential candidates make on women’s manifesto,” she said

Kathewera Banda added that they believe such a monitoring platform will enhance accountability on commitments in all sectors that demand gender inclusion and justice for progressive national development.

“We plan to produce annual reports and these are the ones to be called gender trackers and then at the end of the five years that’s from 2025 to 2030 we should have a consolidated gender tracker that would have shown the kind of progress that would have been achieved in the five-year period,” she explained.

It is believed that the gender trackers will also show gaps for updating the third edition of Women Manifesto in 2030 and guide development of evidenced based policies and programs by government, the academia, civil society organizations and international donors towards women empowerment in the country.

UK government through the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office is supporting the initiative under Pamodzi Kuthetsa Nkhanza project which it believes will serve as a hub for real time data and analysis on gender related matters towards advancement of gender equality and women empowerment.

Head of political and governance at the British High Commission Natalie Mitchell Bennett said Britain believes “data-driven advocacy is essential to transforming lives of women” hence supporting the digital platform by Wolrec.

“As a platform, the Observatory promises to monitor, measure, and hold us to account on the commitments made in the second edition of the Women’s Manifesto launched in June this year. It is a bold step forward in ensuring that policies are not just written but lived,” she said

Deputy minister of gender Halima Daudi described the digital tracking platform as a great milestone in sealing gaps foiling progress for Malawi to achieve gender equality.

“People should report because all along people haven’t been reporting what is happening so the coming in of this system people will be able to report on what is happening in the rural areas in so many sectors, they should act on whatever is happening on the ground. The challenges people are facing to see where we have done good and where we are supposed to improve,” said the deputy minister.

She expressed hope that information provided through the tracking system will enrich reports Malawi presents on international forums for support and feedback aligned with existing gaps in gender justice and inclusion.