Research Areas

Malawi is a landlocked country with a population of nearly 17 million people – which is estimated to surpass 20 million in the next five years. Malawi has 28 administrative districts, which are further divided into traditional authorities (TA) and villages, the smallest administrative unit. Malawi’s economy has expanded over the past  30 years, with real GDP growth estimated at 2.9% in 2016. It remains predominantly an agricultural country, with agriculture, forestry, and fishing contributing 28% of GDP.

As we celebrate the anniversary and the legacy of the 1994 international conference on population and development, and as the international community lays the groundwork for a new global development framework, unfpa is pleased to issue this 20th anniversary edition of the icpd programme of action.

Twenty-five years ago, at the landmark 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, Egypt,the world promised that every woman and girl would enjoy universal access to sexual and reproductive health. More do so today than ever before. Yet millions of women and girls still die in pregnancy, still cannot get contraceptives, still get married as children, still are mutilated and violated – the list of unfulfilled promises remains very long.

The conduct of health or biomedical research in Malawi dates back to preindependence era. Since then, the need for health research has been growing in order to inform policy and health care service delivery.

This document is the first ever Strategic Plan for the National Planning Commission (NPC). NPC was established through an Act of Parliament in 2017 with the main mandate of coordinating the formulation of the country's medium- and long-term plans as well as overseeing their implementation.

This Strategic Plan provides the pathway for the Commission from 2021 to 2030, building on the achievements and experiences of the Commission in its first three years of existence, since its establishment in 2017.

Protocol on Gender and Development 2008