By Alma L. Tingcang
PAGADIAN CITY, February 2 (PIA) - - The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW), together with the Official Development Assistance-Gender and Development (ODA-GAD) Network, spearheaded the preparation of the Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines for Project Development, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation.
NEDA IX Regional Director Arturo G. Valero said the guidelines aim to provide government agencies with a common set of analytical concepts and tools to ensure that gender concerns are fully integrated in various stages of the project cycle.
It will also give clear guideposts on gender concerns which will lead to the achievement of the twin goals of gender equality and women empowerment.
NEDA and NCRFW encourage everyone to use and promote the guidelines so that we may have programs and projects that will make a difference in the lives of both women and men.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) provided financial assistance for the preparation and printing of the guidelines.
The challenge is left for the concerned agencies and the country donors to faithfully use the manual for what it was intended for. Moreover, the manual would be a baseline to see how else can they improve and adopt it to best serve their ultimate goal. It would further enable women to contribute their full share to national development, freed from the economic and socio-cultural constraints that prevent them from doing so.
Valero advised that all regional government offices should use the said guidelines to ensure that gender concerns are considered in any stage of the program. Copy of the guidelines can be viewed or downloaded at the NEDA website http://neda9.net/harmonized-gad-guidelines.html) for reference and information.
Gender equality is integral to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Without progress towards gender equality and the empowerment of women, none of the MDGs and its targets will be achieved. (ALT-PIA9/Zambo Sur)