Women’s economic empowerment and social protection
Recognition and support for women’s unpaid work, including in family incomegenerating activities, as well as for women’s participation in the informal economy
Food security and sovereignty, which interfaces with issue on women’s ownership
and control of natural resources, access to information and technology, and
women’s unpaid labor
Climate change and disasters
Promoting sustainable development, especially in laws on natural resources utility
and development
Institutionalizing gender-sensitive and responsive intervention processes in times
of disaster
Women and governance
Increasing women’s representation and direct participation in local and national
development planning and decision-making; in electoral politics, mandating a
gender quota for fielded candidates of political parties.
Addressing corruption, nepotism and political dynasties in electoral politics
Protection of current political space for critical engagement and dissent, from the
community to national levels.
While the idea of legislative lobbying and advocacy is commonly associated with pushing
for new laws, the women’s groups agree that equally important are actions to amend or
repeal existing laws, or block proposed ones, that directly or de facto undermine the
fulfillment of gender equality, and shrink spaces for human rights protection and advocacy
in general. The above listing forwards proposal for new laws (e.g. divorce,
decriminalization of abortion, dismantling of political dynasties), as well as issues that may
not need a separate law but vigilance is needed so that bills filed do not contradict the gains
of the women’s movement in this regard (e.g. access to reproductive and sexual health
information, products and services; protection of existing spaces for critical engagement
and dissent). Alongside this, is the review of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR)
of laws, and similar legal documents in the executive branch of the government (for
instance, Executive Orders, Department Orders, policy directives, and local ordinances)
which operationalize national legislation, and, in effect, weave them into the everyday lives
of women.
Submitted by
: Nancy Endrinal Parreño
28 January 2020