Development is intrinsically linked to inclusion and gender equity. Governments, as human rights guarantors, have a global commitment to eradicate any form of discrimination that violates freedom, equality, security and autonomy of women, a population group that has waged a historic race for the conquest of their civil and political rights. This article offers the legal and institutional framework that shapes the formulation of public policies and state actions meant to meet the equality standards entailed in the Global Development Agenda. Keywords: Women, Gender, Human Rights, Empowerment.