Gender and Development

GAD STRATEGIC MANDATE

The Gender and Development (GAD) program of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) subscribes to and actively carries out its mandate according to at least three development plans: The Philippine Development Plan (2017-2022), the Philippine Plan for Gender-Responsive Development (1995-2025), and Agenda 2030 of the United Nations. As a program of DENR, GAD contributes to the implementation of DENR’s overall mandate, mission and development goals. Apart from this, the Philippine Development Plan (2017-2022) mandates DENR to lead in ensuring ecological integrity and a clean and healthy environment for Filipinos, and to work towards improvements in the socio-economic conditions of resource-based communities. In accordance also with the Philippine Plan for Gender-responsive Development (PPGD), 1995-2025, DENR’s GAD program seeks to ensure “full participation of women in the promotion of sustainable development and that women equally enjoy and benefit from the fruits of ENR development and management.” Lastly, the Philippines being a signatory of the United Nation’s Agenda 2030, the GAD program of DENR also works to realize the country’s international commitments through contributing to the attainment of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030, most especially SDG 5 which calls for gender equality and empowerment of women and girls. The GAD program of DENR sees SDG 5 as cutting across all other SDGs and has the potential to help accelerate progress in multiple sustainable development goals. In all these pursuits, the DENR GAD program for 2022-2027 goes beyond the strategy of mainstreaming gender in DENR policies and programs. It also seeks to integrate understanding of and solutions to the emergent and urgent concerns of climate change, and health and disaster risks and hazards that are now besetting the country, in DENR’s policies and programs including in GAD programming.

GAD VISION

A gender-responsive DENR championing equal enjoyment of the nation’s environment and natural resources of all Filipinos, protecting the country’s ecological integrity, and contributing to national resiliency and global competitiveness through partnership of women and men in the sustainable management of the country’s environment and natural resources.

GAD MISSION

Women and men are mobilized in protecting, conserving and managing the environment and natural resources for the present and future generations, and in meeting the challenges of climate change, health emergencies and disasters.

CLIENT-ORIENTED GOALS

1. Meaningful participation of women in consultation processes, in community organizations and in decision-making bodies towards the sustainable management of the country’s environment and natural resources;

2. Ensured equal access of women and men to environment and natural resource goods and services; and

3. Enhanced resiliency of women and men in natural resource-based communities

ORGANIZATION-ORIENTED GOALS

4. Enhanced gender mainstreaming in policies, plans and programs; and 5. Institutionalized GAD mechanisms including GAD knowledge management systems in DENR services, bureaus, attached agencies, and regional offices that can serve as model to other organizations

KEY GENDER ISSUES

1. Limited participation of women in the sustainable management of the environment and natural resources.

2. Women have less access to natural resources and its benefits.

3. Greater vulnerability of women in ENR communities to climate change-related, and natural disaster and health risks and hazards.

4. Limited participation of women in decision-making on adaptation and mitigation policies and measures.

          Penro Sarangani is working to improve the conditions, economic position, and productivity of women by incorporating gender considerations into policy-making, planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation processes, as prescribed in the GAD Strategic Plan 2022–2027, with the aim of ensuring equal access to natural resources and economic benefits for both men and women.

          Activities completed in 2022 to help achieve SDG 5 included consultation, community engagement, technical capacity building, access to capital, recognizing women's organizations and program implementers, promoting women's protection and welfare, distributing IEC materials, and providing support for women's leadership and political participation.