CEBU CITY, Cebu, June 8 (PIA) -- The Regional Gender and Development Committee (RGADC) here, which is a special committee under the Regional Development Council 7 (RDC) recently conducted via Zoom a two-day GAD Training to capacitate the participants on gender mainstreaming.

National Development Economic Authority (NEDA-7) Regional Director Efren Carreon, in his message, encouraged the attendees to be actively involved in the formulation of the successor Regional Development Plan as members of the sectoral committee.

“The RDC, with NEDA as lead, will soon be formulating the successor Regional Development Plan for 2023 to 2028, which will serve as the blueprint for the development of the region under the new administration,” said Carreon.

He said the RDC recognizes the need to ensure that gender issues are given importance in the successor RDP, and thus approved the inclusion of gender mainstreaming as one of the planning principles in the guidelines for the formulation of the successor RDP.

The activity aimed to equip the participants with the knowledge and skills needed in the gender mainstreaming.

The training was divided into two tracks, of which Track 1 will focus on the basic GAD and gender mainstreaming concepts.

Track 2, on the other hand, will be held sometime in August this year and will focus on the how’s of gender mainstreaming by focusing on GAD tools and mechanisms of integrating GAD elements in the process of formulating development plans.

Topics presented were about Basic GAD Concepts, Introduction to Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC), Gender Mainstreaming and Policy Imperatives on Gender Mainstreaming and Gender Mainstreaming as a Strategy, and the Gender Mainstreaming Evaluation Framework (GMEF) Tool.

The training was attended by more than 100 participants composed of planning officers from the various government line agencies, State Universities and Colleges, and government-owned and controlled corporation.

Gender mainstreaming ensures that policy-making and legislative work is of higher quality and has a greater relevance for society, as it makes policies respond more effectively to the needs of all citizens such as women and men, girls, and boys. (HFG/PIA7)