For three (3) consecutive years, the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) Annual Gender and Development (GAD) Plan and Budget has been endorsed by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW). This endorsement serves as a basis for the implementation of Agency’s programs and activities.
As required by Joint Circular # 2012-01 on Guidelines for the Preparation of Annual Gender and Development (GAD) Plans and Budgets and Accomplishment Reports to Implement the Magna Carta of Women, the Agency prepared and enhanced its GAD Plan and Budget for FY 2014 based on the comments and suggestions of the PCW.
Using the new template per Joint Circular 2012-01, it guides the CDA to identify activities that are acceptable initiatives, based on its mandate, as follows:
Under Client-focused:
- Effective Regulation of Cooperatives through coordination with concerned agencies on social protection privileges of women employees in coops;
- Promotion and Development of Cooperatives through dissemination of information related to GAD awareness, women’s rights as stipulated in RA 9520 and conduct of GAD orientation, fora, conferences that will promote gender-balanced composition of cooperative officers, management and members;
- Expansion of Cooperative Membership through forging of partnership with various organizations to support and promote the program on membership campaign;
- Advocacy and Linkaging for Cooperative through coordination with DTI, Agrilink and other market-oriented organizations for the participation of coops in the fora/ exhibits and trade fairs; Identify agencies with programs and projects on coop development providing financial/ technical assistance; Encourage creation of GAD committees in the CDCs; and
- Training and Development for Cooperatives through conduct of seminars/ on-the-job trainings/ educational trips/ women congress.
Under Organization-focused:
- Institutional Building of the Agency through preparation of sex disaggregated list/ data based on registered coops; Participation of GAD Focal Person in the orientation and capacity building program on GAD; Training and orientation on the preparation of Agency GAD Plan and Budget; and Briefing/ orientation/ seminar on GAD and related laws.
The CDA ensures that the activities are aligned with the identified gender issues and GAD objectives–By: Cleng Salonga
