Advocates from across the country gathered on Monday for the 5th National Gender and Development (GAD) Focal Point System (GFPS) Convention, led by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), to champion gender equality and women’s empowerment. The three-day event runs until Wednesday at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Quezon City.
The convention aims to strengthen gender mainstreaming in government policies and programs by bringing together GFPS members nationwide to reaffirm their role in integrating gender perspectives into governance.
“You, the GAD Focal Point System, are the pillar that holds our strategies together, the vehicle that brings our policies and programs closer to the Filipino women, the engine that ignites the creativity to translate policies into actions and results, the surgical team that extracts the cancer cells of women’s oppression, and the engineers that redesign the building blocks of an egalitarian,” PCW Chairperson Ermelita Valdeavilla said in her speech.
With the theme “Reaping Gains, Celebrating Milestones, and Strengthening the Roles of GFPS for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment,” the convention highlights both the progress achieved and the challenges ahead in institutionalizing GAD across government sectors.
Plenary sessions and breakout discussions focus on the Magna Carta of Women, addressing sector-specific concerns and aligning government responses to evolving gender issues.
According to the PCW, the convention enhances the capacity of GFPS members as frontline advocates of gender-responsive governance, enabling agencies to design innovative and transformative programs that address inequalities and uplift women and marginalized communities through collaboration, leadership, and innovation.
