DFA Holds First Ever Gender and Development Assembly

Office of the Presidential Advisor on the Peace Process Director Pamela Padilla-Salvan, DFA Undersecretary for Administration Officer-in-Charge Ma. Theresa Dizon-De Vega, Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert, Swedish Ambassador to the Philippines Harald Fries, DFA Office of ASEAN Affairs Executive Director Marian Jocelyn Tirol-Ignacio, and DFA Office of the United Nations and Other International Organizations Principal Assistant Maria May-I Fabros as panel discussants during the open forum. (DFA HRMO photo)

MAKATI 06 December 2018 – As part of the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) programs to continually mainstreaming gender and development (GAD) policies in its programs and activities, it hosted the agency’s first ever Gender and Development (GAD) Assembly at the Makati Diamond Residences on 06 to 08 November 2018.

The event brought together 121 GAD Focal Point Officers (GFPOs) from Philippine Embassies and Consulates General overseas, 22 Consular Offices, and DFA Home Office.

The three-day GAD Assembly provided an opportunity for all GFPOs to validate the findings and recommendations of the second gender audit of the DFA, which was carried out in 2018 by external consultants.

It also paved the way for the drafting of the Department’s four-year GAD Agenda for the years 2019 to 2022.

Officer in Charge of the DFA Office of Undersecretary for Administration and DFA-GAD Executive Committee Chairperson Ma. Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega welcomed the participants and challenged them to be instrumental in building a culture of gender sensitivity and gender responsiveness in the workplace.

“Hopefully, we can come up with an outcome document that will guide every single post, every single delivery unit of the Department, and will enable us, as an institution, to fulfill our GAD mandate.”, Officer-in-Charge De Vega said.

The DFA’s GAD Focal Point System was established in 2011 in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women. END

DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Administration Officer-in-Charge Ma. Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega delivers her opening remarks. (DFA HRMO photo)

Participants from the Home Office, Foreign Service Posts, and Consular Offices of the Department of Foreign Affairs with the panel of discussants. (DFA HRMO photo)