By Tamala Kamanga

Dowa, May 7, Mana: Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) says public service has to mainstream and align issues of human rights as they execute their work, saying this can help achieve effective service delivery.

MHRC Deputy Director of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Lucius Pendame was speaking Tuesday after conducting a training on Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) training for Dowa district council officials.

The workshop aimed to strengthen the capacity of council officials in mainstreaming HRBA in the planning and implementation of public services at the district level, especially as the country works on achieving the Malawi 2063 agenda.

"Development, effective service delivery, and even Malawi 2063 plan cannot be achieved if duty bearers are not holding on to human rights principles.

"So this training is meant to ensure that as we move towards implementing development and the country’s 2063 ambitious plan, duty bearers must embrace the principles of human rights as they work.

"This will not only ensure the promotion of people's trust in daily public services and upholding of human rights but also promote people's participation in Malawi's 2063 agenda. So this training was very important," said Pendame.

The workshop also provided a platform for engagement, knowledge-sharing, and discussions on best practices, ensuring that human rights principles are effectively integrated into public service frameworks.

Sectors involved in the training included planning and development, gender, information, social welfare, community development, police, health and administration.

In his remarks, Director of Finance for Dowa, Martin M'baya said the training will help the council to improve its implementation and incorporation of human rights issues.

"As a council, we have many plans and activities to implement regarding the promotion of Malawi 2063 plans. So this training has equipped us with skills of incorporating human rights issues in our service delivery programming," he said.