Public Affairs Committee (PAC) was founded in 1992 by the religious community and other pressure groups in

Malaŵi Malawi (; or International Phonetic Alphabet, aláwi Tumbuka language, Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zam ...

to enter into a dialogue with

Kamuzu Banda Hastings Kamuzu Banda (1898 – 25 November 1997) was the Prime Minister of Malawi, prime minister and later President of Malawi, president of Malawi from 1964 to 1994 (from 1964 to 1966, Malawi was an independent Dominion / Commonwealth realm) ...

's Presidential Committee on Dialogue in the transition period from the one-party to the multiparty system of government in Malaŵi. Most accounts of the transition credit PAC with a major role at this crucial point in the younger history of Malaŵi. After the referendum on multipartyism was won in 1993 and the first multiparty elections were scheduled to take place in 1994, a number of pressure groups (notably the United Democratic Front and the Alliance for Democracy) split from PAC to form political parties to contest in the elections. PAC has since carried on as an umbrella organisation for the major faith communities represented in the country by the Muslim Association of Malawi, the Quadria Muslim Association of Malawi, the

Malawi Council of Churches Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

, the Evangelical Association of Malawi and the Episcopal Conference of Malawi . As such, it is the oldest and most well-known nongovernmental organisation in the country. PAC also is the national chapter of the

World Conference on Religion and Peace Religions for Peace is an international coalition of representatives from the world's religions dedicated to promoting peace founded in 1970. The International Secretariat headquarters is in New York City, with regional conferences in Europe, As ...

(WCRP). The organisation’s mission statement is “to mobilise the general public through the religious community and other stakeholders in promoting democracy, development, peace and unity through civic education, mediation and advocacy”. After existing for over a decade, PAC has worked with a large number of partners (both local and international) in pursuance of this mission, and has put into practice a wide variety of activities. The organisation has a national secretariat in

Lilongwe Lilongwe (, , ) is the capital and most populated city of the African country of Malawi. It has a population of 989,318 as of the 2018 Census, up from a population of 674,448 in 2008. In 2020 that figure was 1,122,000. The city is located in th ...

, Malaŵi's capital city.

References

* Newell, Jonathan (1995). A Moment of Truth? The Church and Political Change in Malawi, 1992. ''The Journal of Modern African Studies'' 33(2): 243-262. * Ross, Kenneth R. (1995). The Renewal of the State by the Church: the Case of the Public Affairs Committee in Malawi. ''Religion in Malawi'' 5: 29-37 * Ross, Kenneth R. (1997). Crisis and Identity: Presbyterian Ecclesiology in Southern Malawi, 1891-1993. ''Missionalia'' 25(3): 381-397
available online
Religious organisations based in Malawi Politics of Malawi Political organisations based in Malawi