31 March 31, 2023 | 09 Ramadhan 1444 AH

As the meaningful celebration of National Women’s Month concluded, the Bangsamoro Women Commission (BWC), supported by Australian Aid, the UK Government, and UNDP, has successfully finished the Training Workshop on Formulating Gender and Development (GAD) Agendas and GAD Planning and Budgeting from Preparation to Audit. The five-day training workshop was held on March 27-31, 2023, in Sydney Hotel, General Santos City which aimed to equip participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to develop gender-sensitive and gender-responsive GAD agendas and budget plans. Further, the activity aimed to ensure that GAD is mainstreamed and the 5% GAD fund is judiciously utilized.

The training workshop emphasized the importance of integrating gender perspectives into policies and programs and mainstreaming them into the planning and budgeting processes. The workshop gathered GAD focal persons, Budget Officers, Planning Officers, Accountants, and other concerned personnel from the BARMM Ministries, Offices, and Agencies (MOAs), including the associated offices of the Office of the Chief Minister (OCM). At the end of the training workshop, the MOAs are expected to submit their GAD Plans and Budget, GAD Agenda, and GAD Accomplishment Report (AR) to the BWC for the submission of consolidated reports to the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW).