INSTITUTIONALIZING GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT:

A.GAD Agenda Policy Framework

In accordance with the Magna Carta of Women (MCW) and the Philippines’ commitment to
achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE), the Guidelines for the Preparation
of Annual GAD Plans and Budgets (GPBs) and GAD Accomplishment Reports (ARs) was
issued by the Philippine Commission on Women, the National Economic and Development
Authority (NEDA) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). The guidelines
provide the procedures for the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of GAD
plans and budgets of agencies and identify the setting of the GAD agenda as one of the steps in
formulating the GAD plan.
The GAD agenda shall be the basis for the annual formulation of programs, activities and
projects (PAPs) to be included in the GPBs of agencies. It will provide agencies with direction in
setting and monitoring their GAD initiatives towards the achievement of their GEWE goals.
The development of the GAD Agenda shall be guided by the desired GEWE outcomes and goals
embodied in the MCW and other women or gender-related laws relevant to the agency’s
mandates; the Philippine Plan for Gender Responsive Development (PPGD) 1995-2025 and term
plans on GEWE; and various international GAD-related commitments such as the United
Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (UN
CEDAW), the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), and the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs). It shall also be anchored on the priorities and thrusts of the government as expressed in
the Philippine Development Plan and various sectoral plans.

The GAD Agenda is a two-part document consisting of the GAD Strategic Framework (GADSF)
and the GAD Strategic Plan (GADSP). The GADSF outlines the agency’s GAD Vision, Mission
and Goals anchored on the mandate of the agency, while GADSP defines the strategic
interventions, indicators, and targets to be pursued to achieve GAD goals over a period of time.
The timeframe of the GAD Agenda is six years.
PART 1: GAD STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK (GADSF)
Step 1: Organizing the Planning Team

The Head of Agency or GAD Focal Point System (GFPS) Chairperson shall issue, if
necessary, an office memorandum for the preparation of the GAD Agenda
 Step 2: Conducting Gender Analysis
The agency, led by the GFPS, shall conduct gender analysis based on the following:
-Results of the application of gender analysis tools such as the Gender Mainstreaming
Evaluation Framework (GMEF), Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines
(HGDG), Participatory Gender Audit (PGA) and other gender analysis tools;
- Analysis of sex-dis aggregated data and/or relevant information;
-Review of GAD-related mandates and policies (international and local);-Review of
sectoral and Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) plans and GAD-
related indicators; and
-Issues and recommendations gathered from consultations with women’s
groups/organizations working on the sector and other concerned stakeholders.
-After collating the results of the gender analysis, the agency should be able to come up
with a summary list of gender issues.
-The gender issue could be client-and/or organization-focused.
- A client-focused gender issue refers to gap/s arising from the unequal status of women
and men stakeholders (customers, clients, beneficiaries) of a particular agency including
the extent of their disparity over access to benefits from and contribution to a policy,
program, projects and/or services of the agency.
-An organization-focused gender issue, on the other hand, points to the gap/s in the
capacity of the organization to integrate a gender dimension in its programs, systems or
structure.

Step 3: Setting the Agency’s Gad Vision & Mission

The GAD vision shall be formulated to reflect the agency’s projected direction to achieve
its gender equality and women’s empowerment based on its mandate, priorities and
thrusts. The GAD Mission should articulate the agency’s purpose based on its mandate in
relation to achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Step 4: Formulating the Gad Goals

Based on the results of gender analysis, the agency shall set 3-5 GAD goals that it can
achieve during the timeframe set.

PART 2: GAD STRATEGIC PLAN (GADSP)

Step 5: Prioritizing Gender Issues and/or Gad Mandates Per Gad Goal
The gender issues shall be prioritized according to what the agency can achieve within
the timeframe of the GAD Agenda.
In prioritizing the gender issues to be addressed, the agency may consider the following
criteria:
-Strategic– aligned with the priorities of the administration and sectoral plans;
The Head of Agency or GAD Focal Point System (GFPS) Chairperson shall issue, if
necessary, an office memorandum for the preparation of the GAD Agenda

Step 2: Conducting Gender Analysis

The agency, led by the GFPS, shall conduct gender analysis based on the following:
-Results of the application of gender analysis tools such as the Gender Mainstreaming
Evaluation Framework (GMEF), Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines
(HGDG), Participatory Gender Audit (PGA) and other gender analysis tools;
- Analysis of sex-dis aggregated data and/or relevant information;
-Review of GAD-related mandates and policies (international and local);-Review of
sectoral and Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) plans and GAD-
related indicators; and
-Issues and recommendations gathered from consultations with women’s
groups/organizations working on the sector and other concerned stakeholders.
-After collating the results of the gender analysis, the agency should be able to come up
with a summary list of gender issues.
-The gender issue could be client-and/or organization-focused.
- A client-focused gender issue refers to gap/s arising from the unequal status of women
and men stakeholders (customers, clients, beneficiaries) of a particular agency including
the extent of their disparity over access to benefits from and contribution to a policy,
program, projects and/or services of the agency.
-An organization-focused gender issue, on the other hand, points to the gap/s in the
capacity of the organization to integrate a gender dimension in its programs, systems or
structure.

Step 3: Setting the Agency’s Gad Vision & Mission

The GAD vision shall be formulated to reflect the agency’s projected direction to achieve
its gender equality and women’s empowerment based on its mandate, priorities and
thrusts. The GAD Mission should articulate the agency’s purpose based on its mandate in
relation to achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Step 4: Formulating the Gad Goals

Based on the results of gender analysis, the agency shall set 3-5 GAD goals that it can
achieve during the timeframe set.
 PART 2: GAD STRATEGIC PLAN (GADSP)

Step 5: Prioritizing Gender Issues and/or Gad Mandates Per Gad Goal
The gender issues shall be prioritized according to what the agency can achieve within
the timeframe of the GAD Agenda.
In prioritizing the gender issues to be addressed, the agency may consider the following
criteria:
-Strategic– aligned with the priorities of the administration and sectoral plans;

- Relevant – aligned with the agency’s mandate under the MCW and other GAD-related
policies and plans; affects a significant number of stakeholders;
-Urgent – immediate action or attention is necessary to respond to a pressing gender
issue/concern
Aside from priority gender issues, the agency may directly cite specific GAD mandates
emanating from GAD-related laws or plans that it needs to implement.

Step 6: Outlining the Gad Outcomes, Indicators, Baseline Data, and Targets per Gad Goal
Based on the priority gender issues/GAD mandates, formulate the GAD Outcomes/Result
Statements to be achieved within the timeframe of the GAD Agenda. The statement should
provide a sense of progress toward reaching the goal.
Identify the indicators to measure the progress towards the attainment of the GAD
outcome/result. An indicator can be qualitative or quantitative, and is composed of a unit of
measure, a unit of analysis and a context.
Provide the baseline data.
Set annual targets for each indicator

Step 7: Translating the Gad Outcomes into Gad Programs, Projects, and/or Activities
Identify/ Develop specific GAD programs, projects, and/or activities aligned with identified
strategies with corresponding estimated budget, to achieve the desired GAD outcomes.

STEPS IN ACCOMPLISHING THE PROGRESS AND END-OF-TERM REPORTS:

PROGRESS REPORT:
1. From the completed GAD agenda, reflect the GAD goal, outcome, indicators, and targets for
the period in the appropriate columns of the mid-term report template;
2. Provide the baseline value and the year of the data;
3. In column 5, enter the actual accomplishments for the monitoring period and reflect the
percentage of accomplishment;
4. Provide the actual cost and percent utilization in column 6;
5. If deviations were made, cite the reason/s for deviations and if there are unintended results in
column 7;
6. Identify recommendations and adjustments that the agency intends to do to ensure that the
targets set for the remaining years of the GAD agenda will be met

ENDTERM REPORT:
1. From the completed GAD agenda, reflect the GAD goal, outcome, indicators, targets and
baseline identified in the appropriate columns of the end-of term report template;
2. In column 5, enter the accomplishments/achievements;
3. Reflect in column 6; actual cost and percent utilization
4. If there are deviations and unintended results provide it in column 7.

A. GAD Mainstreaming Assessments

B.1. Gender Mainstreaming Evaluation Framework (GMEF)

The Gender Mainstreaming Evaluation Framework (GMEF) is a tool to measure the
extent of the gender mainstreaming efforts of organizations, both national government agencies
(NGAs) and local government units (LGUs). Its also meant to assist the Gender and
Development Focal Point System (GFPS) members in measuring gains and successes, as well as
pinpoint areas for improvement in the way they mainstream the gender and development (GAD)
perspective in their respective organizations.

Gender Mainstreaming in the context of implementing the Magna Carta of Women

With the milestone passage of Republic Act 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women (MCW),
gender mainstreaming as a strategy became an integral part of the design, implementation,
monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs of government agencies and local
government units alike. The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), as the national
machinery on Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality is mandated by the MCW to: 1)
“lead in ensuring that government agencies are capacitated on the effective implementation of
the Act”; and 2) “influence the systems, processes, and procedures of the executive, legislative,
and judicial branches of government vis-à-vis GAD”. Section 37 of the Implementing Rules and
Regulations (IRR) of the law mandates all government agencies, offices, bureaus,
instrumentalities, State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), Government-Owned and Controlled
Corporations (GOCCs) and LGUs to “pursue the adoption of gender mainstreaming as a strategy
to promote and fulfill women’s human rights and eliminate gender discrimination in their
systems, structures, policies, programs, processes, and procedures”. In order to effectively pursue
gender mainstreaming, agencies and LGUs are required to ensure that the following essential
elements are available:
a. GAD Planning and Budgeting;
b. GAD Focal Point System;
c. Sex-Disaggregated Database; and
d. Conduct of Gender Audit

The Gender and Development (GAD) Approach is a development perspective anchored on

rights- based and people-centered development. It recognizes the legitimacy of gender equality
as a fundamental value that should be reflected in developmental choices. This approach focuses
on social, economic, political and cultural factors that determine how differently women and
men participate in, benefit from, and control resources and activities. GAD shifts the focus from
the need to include women in development to the examination of socially determined relations
between women and men. Gender Mainstreaming as National Agency
Integral to the GAD approach is Gender Mainstreaming (GM), identified as a strategy to
integrate gender perspectives in institutional policy, programs and activities. It is operationalized
through building GAD capacities and sharing accountability in all areas, and at all levels, of
program and project implementation. Gender mainstreaming recognizes that development
activities may ignore gender biases that lead to unequal impacts among men and women
beneficiaries. It also moved from inclusion of women per se in the development agenda to
changing or transforming the agenda in order to respond adequately to the realities and needs of
both women and men. Essentially, the process of gender mainstreaming entails the
transformation of institutional structures, culture and practices wherein gender concerns become
central instead of remaining as peripheral issues and concerns. GAD Mainstreaming begins with
an analysis of the existing situation and locating gender specific barriers while examining the
social, political, economic and environmental factors which influence women and men’s roles
and decision-making capacities. This process entails a more holistic approach to governance in
which the interests and needs of beneficiaries are taken into account. It recognizes and
appropriately values the contribution of both women and men. Moreover, it also develops
appropriate policies and programs towards greater sustainability of gender equality development
outcomes.
What Gender Mainstreaming IS... and what it ISN’T...
• GM is focused on the substantive work of organizations – it is not just about achieving a gender
balance in those organizations
• GM is about identifying concrete actions to promote gender equality – it is not just about doing
gender analysis
• GM makes gender perspectives and the goal of gender equality explicit in all processes and
documents – it does not and cannot make these invisible
• GM is a complementary strategy to women’s empowerment – it does not eliminate the need for
targeted activities for women and activities targeted to promote gender equality
• GM requires specialist/catalyst resources to support management in the fulfillment of their
responsibilities – it does not eliminate the need for gender units and gender focal points
(Adapted from Concept to Action: Gender Mainstreaming in Operational Activities, Carolyn
Hannan, OSAGI, 2000.)

Entry Points of Gender Mainstreaming:

GAD mainstreaming requires interventions from different stages of development
planning processes, from planning to programming, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and
evaluation. There are four critical entry points to GAD mainstreaming, namely: policies,
programs and projects, people, and enabling mechanisms. These are not in any order of
importance. A government agency has the option on what entry point to use first. They may opt
to adopt strategies that characterize more than one entry point:

Policies
This refers to the official statements and pronouncements of support for gender mainstreaming
issued by the organization. These may be in the form of department orders, special orders,
administrative orders, memoranda, and executive orders that spell out the commitment of an
organization to pursue gender mainstreaming. It also includes national and sectoral plans,
specific guidelines, manual of implementation and the GAD Framework/Strategic Plan. Through
these issuances, the organization expresses its recognition and acceptance of gender
mainstreaming as a critical and legitimate concern, even in broad or general terms.6

Programs and Projects (PAPs)

This refer to the flagship programs or activities and projects that serve as a strategic entry point
to gender mainstreaming in an organization. It is the most practical entry point since it involves
the actual implementation of the mandate of an organization. PAPs can be review and issuance
of revised GAD policies, application of gender analysis tools, and conduct of GAD advocacy and
regular updating of GAD mechanisms such as the GAD database.

Enabling Mechanisms
This refer to the systems and mechanisms installed in the organization and the funds allocated
for GAD activities such as the GAD Focal Point System and Knowledge Management System.
The success of any gender mainstreaming efforts depend, to a large extent, on the resources
allocated and the mechanisms that are institutionalized to implement it.
Enabling mechanisms can be GAD Funds Audit of the Commission on Audit, which greatly
helped in ensuring the institutional compliance to the minimum 5% utilization of the GAD
budgets of government agencies and local government units.
People
This refers to the relevant stakeholders who assume the task of gender mainstreaming. The
following are critical to the success of gender mainstreaming: GAD champions among top
management who actively support the gender mainstreaming program; recognition of GAD
Focal Point System and staff members as GAD experts; internal and external clients who are
able to participate in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programs,
activities and projects. As an entry point, people shares four complementary and distinct roles:

The Sponsor. “The individual or group who has the power to sanction or legitimize change.”
Sponsors consider the potential changes facing an organization and assess the changes and
opportunities. They decide which changes will happen, communicate the new priorities to the
organization, and provide the proper reinforcement to assure success. They are also “responsible
for creating an environment that enables these changes to be made on time and within budget.”
In gender mainstreaming, the sponsors are the heads of the organizations. They express support
to gender mainstreaming by issuing policies or installing the necessary enabling mechanisms
such as approving the organization’s GAD Plan and Budget. They also set the direction of the
overall gender mainstreaming efforts of the organization

The Change Agent. “The individual or group who is responsible for actually making the change.
The agent’s success depends on the ability to diagnose potential problems, develop a plan to deal
with these issues, and execute the change effectively.”
The primary change agents are usually the GAD Focal Point System Members because they
facilitate the implementation of gender mainstreaming in the organization.
The Target. “The individual or group who must actually change or those who will benefit from.
development”. The term “target” is used because these people are the focus of the change effort
and play a crucial role in the short- and long-term success of an organization’s gender
mainstreaming efforts. To increase the likelihood of success, they must be educated to
understand the changes that are expected to accommodate. They must also be involved in the
implementation process. The targets of gender mainstreaming are people in the bureaucracy, the
field workers and the clients of the different organizations. The officials and members of the
bureaucracy are given GAD capability programs to engage in the gender mainstreaming efforts.

The Advocate. “The individual or group who wants to achieve change but lacks the power to
sanction it.” The presence of GAD advocates determines the success rate of sustaining GAD
mainstreaming initiatives. The presence of GAD advocates helps lay a solid foundation built on
appreciation of GAD as a rights-based approach to development. Rights-based approach means
achieving a positive transformation of power relations among the different development actors.

Levels of Gender Mainstreaming

In the course of implementing gender mainstreaming, an organization may progress through the
following levels:
Level 1: Foundation Formation
This is the initial stage, where the level of gender awareness of an organization is heightened
through raising people’s awareness and generating support for gender mainstreaming. The
challenge at the onset of any change effort is getting people to understand, appreciate and imbibe
the need for change. This level also sets the tone for appreciating value-added in committing to
GAD as one of the priority thrusts of the organization.

Level 2: Installation of Strategic Mechanisms

This marks the transition of the organization toward gender mainstreaming. Some of the enabling
conditions created and established by top management to support GAD are:
• Putting key people, necessary policies, support structures, systems and mechanisms in place to
facilitate and sustain gender mainstreaming
• Initial application of GAD concepts and tools

Level 3: GAD Application

This is the period where GAD-related activities are already institutionalized within the
organization. Interventions are usually based on a strategic GAD agenda that guides GAD
planning and budgeting implementation. The GAD planning and budgeting have become more
strategic in terms of applying gender analysis in regular programs that result in either increased
attribution of the GAD budget and/or more gender responsive programs.

Level 4: Commitment Enhancement and Institutionalization

In this level, the organization has already institutionalized gender mainstreaming and is focused
on sustaining its efforts. It also challenges other organizations to continuously evaluate and
improve their efforts. After all, the long-term goal is to improve the government’s ability to
respond to gender issues and concerns on a sustained basis.

Level 5: Replication and Innovation

When an organization reached this level, it means that GAD has been fully mainstreamed into its
mandate and is being recognized by others as a model in gender mainstreaming. The GAD Focal
Person System members of the organization do not only serve as internal experts but are also
invited by other organizations as GAD technical assistance providers. GAD-related mechanisms
established by the organization are also certified as learning hubs by national and/or international
organizations.

The GMEF Descriptor Matrix

The Enhanced GMEF still retained the Descriptor Matrix, also known as “banig” (Filipino
translation for matrix). It shows the visual progression of the gender mainstreaming efforts of an
organization from Level 1 to Level 5. Compared to the old descriptor matrix, the Enhanced
GMEF descriptor matrix has one descriptor corresponding to each of the questions in the four
organizational assessment questionnaires instead of multiple descriptors per question. It also
shows not only the over-all progression of the gender mainstreaming efforts of an organization,
but also its progression per entry point (e.g. improvement of gender mainstreaming from Level 1
to Level 2 in the Policy entry point). The Enhanced GMEF descriptor matrix consists of 93
descriptors in total representing the four GMEF entry points: Policies, People, Enabling
Mechanisms and PAPs.

C.2. Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines

In 2004, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) formulated the
Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines for Project Development, Implementation,
Monitoring and Evaluation, in collaboration with the National Commission on the Role of Filipino
Women (NCRFW) and the Official Development Assistance-Gender and Development (ODA-
GAD) Network, with funding support from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The set of guidelines serves as a common instrument
among the NEDA, proponent/ implementing agencies and donor organizations for ensuring the
gender responsiveness of programs and projects in their various stages.

In 1993 the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the National
Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW), in conjunction with various Philippine
government agencies, produced the Guidelines for Developing and Implementing Gender-
Responsive Programs and Projects.

Since the mid-1990s, most official development assistance (ODA) donors have also crafted
their own GAD guidelines to assist their officers, contractors, and local partners in incorporating
GAD concerns in the design and implementation of their programs and projects. By early 2003,
or ten years after the Philippine government issued its GAD guidelines, Philippine government
agencies had been contending with often overlapping GAD checklists.
In mid-2003, NEDA and the Official Development Assistance Gender and Development
Network (ODA-GAD Network) agreed to harmonize GAD requirements after reviewing the
existing checklists for project development, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation
(M&E). This initiative aimed to produce a common set of guidelines for the Philippine
government agencies and donors while allowing variations in priorities among them.1
The new GAD guidelines reflect the evolution of assistance framework from Women in
Development (WID) to GAD and the current focus on women’s rights. The current version of the
guidelines also incorporates the suggestions of many groups in the Philippine government that
have tried the original set of guidelines.

The harmonized GAD guidelines seek to promote the twin goals of gender equality and
women’s empowerment. Specifically, these aim to:
1. provide NEDA, ODA donors, Philippine government agencies, and development
practitioners with a common set of analytical concepts and tools for integrating gender concerns
into development programs and projects; and
2. help achieve gender equality in, and empower women through, projects and
programs.

The guidelines consist of three parts.

Part I focuses on a core set of requirements, in the form of questions, that applies to
project development in general, regardless of sector or project type.
 Part II deals with GAD guidelines for the development of certain types of projects, or
projects in particular sectors.

Part III presents GAD checklists for the management, implementation, and monitoring
and evaluation of development projects.

The guidelines focus on (1) the process, (2) strategies, and (3) the development and
management results of integrating gender equality and women’s empowerment concerns in
various stages of the project cycle, including (a) project identification and design and
assessment of projects for funding; (b) project implementation; and (c) monitoring and
evaluation. To aid users of the guidelines, a Glossary of Terms included.

Gender equality and women’s empowerment are conceived to occur progressively at

different levels. Thus, gender equality and women’s empowerment outputs and outcomes
may be viewed and measured in terms of the following indicators:

 Improved physical welfare of women and girls; lower incidence of malnutrition,

morbidity, and mortality among girls and boys; lower maternal morbidity and
mortality; improved functional literacy of various groups of women, particularly
among the older age groups in rural areas and among indigenous peoples
groups; and improved school participation of girls and boys at various levels;
 Equal access of women and men to development opportunities (including
employment generated by the project), resources, and benefits, which implies the
removal of constraints, barriers, and various forms of gender-based
discrimination with respect to women’s access;
 Greater understanding of women’s human rights among women and men;
commitment of the State to recognizing, protecting, and fulfilling human rights,
particularly of women and girls; or changes in attitudes and beliefs concerning
gender relations, as indicated by a reduction in the incidence of violence against
women and a more equal gender division of labor;
 Equal participation of women in bodies or organizations created by development
programs or projects; and higher representation of women in various decision-
making bodies and leadership positions; and
 Equal control of women and men over resources and processes and outcomes of
development.

Principles
This set of GAD guidelines subscribes to the idea that development involves the
expansion of freedoms and strengthening of capabilities. In this connection, it recognizes that
  equality between women and men is a key women’s human right;
 participation in development is crucial to the empowerment of women and men;
 gender equality means promoting the equal participation of women as agents of
economic, social, and political change; and
 achieving equality between women and men may involve the introduction of
specific measures designed to eliminate prevailing gender inequalities and
inequities.

The GAD guidelines are designed for the use of those involved in developing, implementing,
managing, and monitoring and evaluating development programs and projects in the
Philippines. These are supposed to help NEDA evaluate or assess projects for funding. The
guidelines are also expected to assist government agencies and local government units (LGUs)
not just in designing but also in implementing, managing, and monitoring and evaluating
development interventions. The guidelines are likewise useful to ODA donors and their
consultants for developing, managing, and monitoring and evaluating projects. A guide to the
administration of the checklists is included in its manual.

Levels of gender equality and women’s empowerment

WELFARE: Addressing the material and physical well-being of women and men, girls
and boys. Empowerment here refers to improvement in the physical condition of women and
girls.

ACCESS: Ensuring that resources, services, and facilities are made available to women
and men. Access is related to the concept of entitlements that are conferred by the state,
market, kinship, and other systems. Because women’s entitlements are generally more limited,
empowerment here means greater access of women to resources, services, and facilities, and
making available to women appropriate and effective means
to secure resources, services, and facilities.

CONSCIENTIZATION: Challenging the existing gender division of labor or questioning

the beliefs that women’s lower socioeconomic position and the traditional gender division of
labor are part of the natural order, or is “God-given”; and acknowledging the equality between
women and men. Empowerment means sensitizing women and men to sexist beliefs and
recognizing that women’s subordination is not part of the natural order of things, but is imposed
by a system of discrimination that is socially constructed, one that can be altered.

PARTICIPATION: Addressing the most visible and obvious phenomenon of inequality

between women and men—small proportions of women are found in the legislative assembly or
in the management of public organizations and the private sector. When development is
confined to the levels of welfare and access, women are treated as passive beneficiaries.
Empowering women means making them equal with men, who are agents actively involved in
the development process.

CONTROL: Confronting the unequal power relations between women and men.
Women’s increased participation at the decision-making level will lead to their increased
development and empowerment when this participation is used to achieve increased control
over the factors of production, ensuring women’s equal access to resources and the distribution
of benefits. Equality of control means a balance of power between women and men, so that
neither is in a position of dominance.

Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines apply to all types of programs and
projects, supporting:
- the identification and design of projects and programs;
-implementation and management; and
-monitoring and evaluation

The harmonized GAD guidelines are compatible with the GAD checklists of ODA donors
and the GAD strategies of Philippine government agencies. These are formulated as minimum
requirements for development projects, including those supported by ODA funds. ODA donors
and government agencies may want to introduce additional requirements to fit their priorities
and policies.
In accordance with Section 5 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations for RA 7192,
government agencies and LGUs are encouraged to prepare and use more detailed checklists to
address relevant issues or factors in their regions and sectors. These expanded checklists,
however, should observe the core requirements contained in the harmonized GAD guidelines.