There is a pressing need to strengthen the provision of social support and social protection for the many people in Malawi whose living standards are vulnerable to the recurring and occasional threats that the country is exposed to. The Malawi National Social Support Programme II (MNSSP II) will run from 2018 to 2023 building on the successes and lessons learned during the implementation of the first MNSSP. It is organised around thematic priority areas and provides policy guidance on promoting linkages, strengthening systems and improving monitoring activities. The shift to thematic priority areas in this second programme ensures greater alignment of individual programme objectives with the objectives of the National Social Support Policy, 2012 (NSSP) and the MNSSP II. The following are the programme’s priority support areas:  Pillar 1: Consumption support – The provision of consumption support through timely, predictable and adequate cash and/or in-kind transfers to poor and vulnerable people throughout their life cycles; Pillar 2: Resilient livelihoods – Promoting resilient livelihoods through tailored packages based on individual, household, and community needs via poverty graduation pathways and inter-programme linkages and by facilitating access to and the utilisation of services beyond the MNSSP II programmes; Pillar 3: Shock-sensitive social protection – The development of a shock-sensitive social protection system that meets seasonal needs, prepares for and responds to unpredictable shocks in cooperation with the humanitarian sector and supports recovery and the return to regular programming. Cross-cutting and programme specific strategic actions are presented for each pillar.