INTRODUCTION 1. The Malawi Government hereby submits this periodic report on the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, (the Charter) and the Protocol on the Rights of Women (Maputo Protocol). The report covers the period May 2015 to March, 2019. Part A of the report is on the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and part B is on the Maputo Protocol. In the report we give a general update on the status of human rights in Malawi for the relevant period. We also give an update on the implementation of the 2015 Concluding Observations and Recommendations. 2. The report was compiled by the National Task Force on the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights which was initially established in 2013 and expanded in 2017. The Task Force is chaired by the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs with membership from governance institutions, Ministries, departments, agencies and civil society organizations. The list of members of the Task Force is attached hereto as Annex 1. 3. We are very pleased that this report was compiled in an open, inclusive and participatory manner. The National Task Force on the Charter has become a forum where Government interfaces with key human rights practitioners not only regarding issues to do with the Charter but also regarding the general status of human rights in Malawi. Government believes that the state is the primary human rights defender. The We are therefore determined to ensure that Malawi fully respects the values and ideals of human rights as enshrined in our Constitution and various international human rights instruments. This report is a summary of the status of human rights in Malawi during the reporting period. Due to issue of space, the report is limited in content and scope but we look forward to provide further information and further details during the review of this report. 1