The country’s vice president Saulos Chilima is expected to leave the country for South Africa in Durban to represent President Lazarus Chakwera at the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour.

According to Pilirani Phiri, Chilima’s spokesperson, then conference is scheduled for Sunday, May 15, 2022 to Friday, May 20 2022 and Chilima will return on Tuesday, May 17 2022.

Phiri added that Chilima will deliver a statement on behalf of the President during the opening of the conference on Sunday.

The conference has been organised against the backdrop of concerns raised by a 2021 global report on child labour which shows that the number of children involved in child labour has risen to 160 million worldwide, representing an increase of 8.4 million children since 2017.

The statement says the conference will, therefore, seek to identify good practices and viable solutions to reinforce commitment of all stakeholder groups to accelerate the fight against the vice in line with Sustainable Development Goals.