The development of this revised National Gender Policy was guided by : the Malawi Constitution which has gender equality principles and related provisions, the MGDS, MDGs, Post 2015 Development Agenda 2030 and the various international and regional instruments on gender equality and women empowerment that Malawi is a party to.
Some of these instruments being the 1979 United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) ; the 2008 Southern African Development Cooperation (SADC) Protocol on Gender and Development, the 2003 Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, the 2003 African Union’s Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa and the UN Resolutions : 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008) on women, peace and security and ending sexual violence in conflict situations.

This policy aims at guiding gender mainstreaming and women empowerment initiatives for attainment of gender equity and equality in Malawi.