DILG highlights women's role in disaster risk reduction and management during 2012 Women's Month

The key role of women in disaster risk reduction and management shall be among the highlights of the activities that will be conducted by local governments as they celebrate Women's Month this March.

"It is high time that we accentuate women's involvement in disaster preparedness, risk reduction, recovery and rehabilitation," said Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, adding that "they (women) too play an equally important role in these efforts."

The theme for this year's celebration, "Women weathering climate change: Governance and accountability, everyone's responsibility," underscores the role of women as powerful agents of change in disaster risk reduction.

In his directive to provincial governors, city and municipal mayors and barangays leaders, Robredo also urged them to undertake activities that will help contribute to the building of gender-responsive, resilient, and accountable communities that are prepared for disasters.

He said local governments should ensure that local disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation strategies and plans are gender-responsive.

He also encouraged them to focus their activities on sustaining the national and local advocacy on the implementation of RA 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women and the Millennium Development Goals focusing on MDG7 which is ensuring environmental sustainability.

For greater community awareness and participation, the DILG Chief said local government units may display streamers in public places and post their program of activities in conspicuous places, their websites, local newspapers and broadcast in radio stations.

The annual celebration of Women's Month is provided for under Presidential Proclamation Nos. 224 and 227, which declared March of every year as Women's Month, and the first week of March as Women's Week and March 8 as Women's Rights and International Peace Day, respectively. Likewise, Republic Act 6949 has declared March 8 as National Women's Day and the whole month of March as Women's Role in History Month. - PIA — ARA