GERC shares experience in mainstreaming GAD in cooperatives
The colorful story of the gender and development (GAD) journey of Philippine co-ops has many lessons on turning challenges to opportunities for advocacy; and on developing creative, passionate, and committed GAD advocates/trainers/role-models in co-ops, and gender-fair co-ops. GAD advocates and gender-fair co-ops are in different areas of the country but are united in doing the difficult task of challenging culture, traditions, and mindsets that spawn stereotypes and inequalities. The Cooperative Development Authority (CDA)’s MC No. 2013-22 (Guidelines in Mainstreaming Gender and Development (GAD) in Cooperatives) and MC No. 2017-04 (Tool for Assessing Progress of Gender Equality in Primary Cooperatives as Supplemental to Memorandum Circular No. 2013-22) strengthen the GAD efforts of the country's co-ops.
The co-ops’ GAD efforts are also a long story to tell. In the 1980s to early 1990s, the co-op primaries and federations in the Philippines and other Asian countries were already becoming aware of the gender issues in society that permeated co-ops--and they wanted to act on these issues. Now, the GERC Inc. is sharing its experience on mainstreaming GAD in co-ops, gained from years of promoting gender equality for development in and through co-ops, starting from the activities of its precursor the Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum (AWCF). By sharing its GAD mainstreaming experience, GERC Inc. also gives tribute to the first co-ops and cooperators who bravely and passionately took the initial steps to gender equality and now ENJOY the fruits of their GAD efforts (e.g., lessened delinquency; improved policies and programs; increased membership; more actions on women's and men's concerns), and INSPIRE other co-ops now who dare say that “We are for gender equality.” Together, let us work together even more as we flex co-ops strength (and in partnership with co-op-supporting organizations) toward achieving our goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring that the voice of every cooperator—women and men, youth and adults--is heard and taken into account.
And through GAD, may co-ops become even more a “countervailing force” against gender inequality, climate change, violent extremism, issues young people face, and all other forces that threaten people’s very life and existence. (See http://cda.gov.ph/resources/updates/news/1232-2019-cooperative-month-theme)
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