DFA Successfully Conducts Regional Training on Gender and Development for GAD Focal Point Officers in the Home Office, Consular Offices, and Foreign Service Posts

Regional Training on GAD for Offices in the Home Office and Consular Offices (1st row), for Asia and Pacific Region (2nd row-L), for Middle East and Africa Region (2nd row-R), for Americas Region (3rd row-L), and for Europe Region (3rd row-R)

MANILA 04 October 2023 – The Department of Foreign Affairs successfully conducted five runs of Regional Training on Gender and Development for GAD Focal Point Officers (GFPOs) in the Home Office, Consular Offices and Foreign Service Posts. 

Spearheaded by the Human Resources Management Office (HRMO), the regional trainings are in line with Goal 2 of the DFA GAD Agenda for 2023 to 2028, to establish and strengthen institutional capacities of the GAD Focal Point System (GFPS) in accelerating gender mainstreaming in the Department.

The four-day Regional GAD Training commenced in Manila on 01 to 04 August 2023 for GFPOs in the Home Office and Consular Offices. To further address the understanding of gender and development across regions, successive runs were organized for FSPs in the Asia and the Pacific region (22 to 25 August 2023), in Middle East and Africa (29 August to 01 September 2023), in the Americas (05 to 08 September 2023), and in Europe (25 to 28 September 2023). These were hosted by Bangkok PE, Abu Dhabi PE, Mexico PE, and Rome PE, respectively.

The Training provided an excellent opportunity for participants to strengthen their understanding and appreciation of basic GAD concepts, Gender Analysis, Gender-Fair Communication, as well as the adoption of Gender-Responsive Planning and Budgeting procedures, through discussions led by GAD consultants, Atty. Allen Espino and Ms. Cecilia Fantastico. A module on Assistance to Nationals was also presented by the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA), which highlighted the DFA’s role in supporting a gender-sensitive migration policy for Filipino migrant workers.

In his remarks, HRMO Assistant Secretary Christopher B. Montero expressed his appreciation to the GFPOs’ steadfast dedication and valuable contribution to the DFA’s long-term gender and development goals towards strengthening institutional capacities to fully mainstream GAD principles within the Department. END