The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded project, Agricultural Transformation and Market Integration in the ASEAN Region: Responding to Food Security and Inclusiveness Concerns (ATMI-ASEAN), in partnership with the IFAD Philippines Gender Network (IPGN), will co-organize a regional forum on “Mainstreaming Gender Equality towards an Inclusive and Sustainable Post-COVID 19 Regional Recovery” on 21 January 2022 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (GMT +08:00) via Zoom platform.
The forum generally aims to provide a venue to share and discuss gender mainstreaming initiatives in the region and come up with recommendations for scaling and adoption to complement and support the implementation of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF).
Specifically, the regional forum aims to: (1) provide an overview of IFAD’s current gender mainstreaming initiatives and metrics; (2) present the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF) and its specific strategies for mainstreaming gender equality into its recovery response and processes as well as the ASEAN Gender Outlook; (3) Identify the gaps, challenges, and opportunities for mainstreaming gender equality in ASEAN’s agriculture sector, particularly in the areas of food and nutrition security, climate change and disaster resilience, and digital technologies; and (4) Develop a regional action plan on mainstreaming gender equality to support the implementation of the ACRF and serve as a guide in developing national-level action plans.
The key resource speakers will include Mr. Miguel Musngi, Senior Officer, Poverty Eradication and Gender Division, ASEAN Secretariat; Mr. Steven Jonckheere, Senior Technical Specialist for Gender & Social Inclusion, IFAD; and Dr. Agnes R. Quisumbing, Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), through the ATMI-ASEAN Project, will host the panel discussion on gender mainstreaming strategies for (1) food and nutrition security by Dr. Devesh Roy, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI; (2) climate change and disaster resilience, by Dr. Julian Gonsalves, Senior Advisor, International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR); and (3) digital technologies in agriculture, by Atty. Dulce Blanca Punzalan, Chief Executive Officer, Crea8 Innov8 Marketing/Human Nature. A breakout session, to be facilitated by the IPGN, will follow to come up with specific recommendations and courses of action in support of the ACRF implementation in the region.
The forum will be attended by representatives from various national and regional organizations, from both the public and private sectors, including the Asian Farmers’ Association (AFA), Asian Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (ASIADHRRA), Grow Asia, ATMI-ASEAN country partners (CLMVP), and representatives from International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The ATMI ASEAN Project is being implemented by IFPRI and co-implemented by SEARCA.