PHILIPPINES
APPROPRlATE MECHANISM TO COORDINATE AND MONITOR THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BEIJING PLATFORM FOR ACTION (BPA)

BACKGROUND

- As a result of the Fourth World Conference on Women held in
Beijing, People's Republic of China, each UN member country was
committed to implement the Beijing Platform for Action (BPA).

- The concerns of BPA are focused and directed at women within
twelve (12) basic concerns: Poverty, Health, Education,
Economic Empowerment, Power and Decision Making, Violence
Against Women, The Girl Child, Mechanisms for Advancement,
Effects of Armed Conflict, Women's Rights, Mass Media and the
Environment.

- The Philippine Plan for Gender-Responsive Development (PPGD)
for 1995-2025, on the other hand, is the country's long-term
plan for gender and development. The PPGD sets down the
priority sectoral gender and women concerns of the country that
shall be addressed within the 30-year duration of the Plan.
Essentially, the PPGD is the most logical translation of the
Beijing Conference into national commitments and initiatives.
The adoption of the PPGD is mandated through Executive Order
No. 273 signed by the President on 8 September 1995.


THE ROLE OF NCRFW AND THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD

- As provided for in Executive Order No. 208, the National
Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) shall be the
primary policy-making and coordinating body on all women
development concerns. Moreover, Executive Order 273 which
approved the adoption of the PPGD, mandates and authorizes the
NCRFW to coordinate and monitor the implementation of the Plan.

- Given such mandates NCRFW shall be lead agency responsible
for monitoring the integration of the BPA into the various
plans, programs and projects of government as well as
coordinate and monitor the implementation of the BPA. However
along with the mandate stipulated in EO 208 and 273, the
various line departments particularly those represented in the
NCRFW Board will be the implementors of the provisional of the
BPA. NCRFW shall also encourage local government units to
implement programs and projects that will address BPA
provisions.

- NCRFW shall likewise be responsible of preparing all
necessary reports on developments relating to the country's
compliance to the Beijing Platform. Whenever necessary the
NCRFW shall render to the SRC the NEDA Board and the LEDAC
appropriate reports that shall be requested from them.

- Moreover, NCRFW shall continue the conduct of consultations
with the various government agencies and non-government
organizations, particularly women's groups on mechanisms that
will facilitate the implementation of the BPA , the PPGD and
key women-related laws.

THE ROLE OF THE SOCIAL REFORM COUNCIL

- As mandated through a Presidential Memorandum the Social
Reform Council (SRC)will be responsible for the integration of
the appropriate BPA provisions into the Social Reform Agenda
(SRA).

- To ensure complementarity with the programs and activities
being coordinated by the NCRFW the SRC shall monitor responses
to the BPA issues falling within the SRA framework while NCRFW
shall assume leadership in monitoring overall BPA actions in
government. The NCRFW and the appropriate government agencies
shall provide the SRC relevant information on their programs
and activities that shall fall within the concerns of the SRA.
The arrangement shall be facilitated with the inclusion of the
NCRFW in the various technical working groups of the SRC, and
the SRC itself, if possible.

THE ROLE OF NEDA

- NEDA's role for implementing the Beijing Platform will be
carried out along the agency's-key mandate of development
planning, policy coordination, investment programming, and
program/project monitoring and evaluation. Moreover, the role
of NEDA for monitoring BPA implementation-will be in accordance
with its role as stipulated in EO 273 and in relation to the
implementation of RA 71 q2 (Women in Development and
Nation-Building Act).

- The NEDA shall ensure that provisions of the BPA are
considered in the formulation and updating of national as well
as sectoral and regional development plans This will be done,
however, in coordination with NCRFW and concerned NGOs.

- As specifically mandated under RA 7192 NEDA will continue to
ensure that programs and projects submitted for endorsement to
donors will integrate gender concerns. NEDA will be responsible
for facilitating the endorsement of programs and projects that
are aimed at addressing the concerns of the Beijing Platform.

- With the mandate of the NEDA Board Social Development
Committee to coordinate and monitor all social development
agencies, the NEDA will regularly be requesting the NCRFW to
present to the SDC key development issues relating to the
implementation of the PPG D national laws on women, B PA, and
other women-related commitments made during other international
conferences such as the World Summit on Social Development.

THE ROLE OF DBM

- The role of DBM in relation to the Beijing Platform derives
from its key mandate as the central investment programming and
budgeting agency. The role of DBM will focus on the monitoring
and adoption of measures such that agencies and local
government units will allocate funds for gender-responsive
programs and projects as mandated in RA 8174 or the 1996 GAA.
The task for assessing whether proposed
programs/projects/activities specifically addressed Beijing
commitments will be the responsibility of NCRFW.

THE ROLE OF NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS AND POs

- NGOs and Peoples Organizations (POs) play a critical role in
every phase of the development process. In particular, NGOs
have a fiscalizing role in the monitoring and evaluation of
government programs/projects. It is the policy of government to
recognize the NGOs' basic principles of autonomy,
self-regulation and evaluation and self-reliance which underlie
every NGO operations. Hence, the identification of National
Council of Women in the Philippines (NCWP) as provided for in
EO 329 as one of the monitoring arms of NGOs is a mere
recognition of NCWP as a legitimate NGO involved in women and
development concerns.

- The set of parameter/guidelines prepared by the NCRFW Board
on its 29 May 1996 meeting will, hence, govern the
implementation of Executive Order 329. As such, the following
points shall be observed in the implementation of the Executive
Order:

     a) NCWP can only monitor NGOs that are members of its
network;

     b) Other NGOs, alliances, networks and other groups can
also undertake their own implementation and monitoring of the
BPA;

     c) The EO does not include monitoring of government
agencies since this is the task of NCRFW as provided in EO No.
208 and EO 273; and

     d) EO 329 should not be used or serve as endorsement for
funding for NCWP activities.

It is also incumbent for NCWP, as one of the NCRFW's Board of
Commissioners, to inform NCRFW of its activities that will
involve the participation of government agencies and to report
to NCRFW, as the main coordinating and monitoring body on all
women development concerns, the results of its monitoring work.

Date last updated: 08 May 2000 by DESA/DAW
Copyright © 1999 United Nations