2020 National Women's Month |
Theme: We Make Change Work for Women
Monday, March 9, 2020 to Tuesday, March 31, 2020
The National Women’s Month Celebration (NWMC) every March is part of the worldwide observance of the International Women’s Day.
The following issuances serve as legal bases for the annual national activity:
• Proclamation No. 224 s. 1988 declaring the first week of March each year as Women’s Week and March 8 as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day
• Proclamation No. 227 s. 1988 providing for the observance of the Month of March as Women’s Role in History Month
• Republic Act (RA) 6949 s. 1990 declaring March 8 of every year as National Women’s Day.
Theme 2017-2022
In 2017, the PCW Board Members and Inter-Agency Technical Working Group identified the NWMC theme “We Make Change Work for Women”, which shall be used from 2017-2022. It highlights the empowerment of women as active contributors to and claimholders of development. This pursuit of development is also anchored on the commitment of “Malasakit at Pagbabago” or True Compassion and Real Change.
OBJECTIVES
Objectives
The 2017-2022 NWMC generally aims to:
• inform and engage women as stakeholders of government programs and services – to promote citizen-centric governance and make “change” a conscious effort to know, understand, and provide what ALL citizens need
• create and facilitate platforms to discuss good practices, gaps, challenges, and commitments in pursuing gender and development (GAD) – to strengthen implementation of the Magna Carta of Women
• inspire and empower women and girls to be agents of change – to contribute in promoting gender equality and the empowerment of all women
Thus, government agencies and local government units shall ensure that their programs and activities for the NWMC contribute in achieving these objectives and the focus of the 2020 celebration.
Focus for 2020
Year 2020 is a turning point in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) in the Philippines. It marks the 45th founding anniversary of the Philippine Commission on Women, which is the national machinery on women, and the 25th year of the BPfA which is a global roadmap for the empowerment of women and girls. It is also pivotal for the 40th anniversary in 2021 of taking into force of the CEDAW, considered as the international bill of rights of women and translated into a national law through the Magna Carta of Women (R.A. 9710 or MCW). 2020 also marks the 5th year of the SDGs; the 10th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security; and the 25th year since the gender and development (GAD) budget policy was introduced through the 1995 General Appropriations Act (R.A. 7845).
Thus, under the banner theme, “We Make Change Work for Women,” the 2020 NWMC shall celebrate and take stock of the progress made to advance GEWE in the country. In line with the global multi-generational campaign of UN Women, “Generation Equality: Realizing women’s rights for equal future,” the celebration shall also endeavor to bring together women and girl leaders from various generations towards a collective agenda of empowering all women and girls.
Government agencies, local government units, state colleges and universities, and other stakeholders are strongly encouraged to get the youth involved in their women’s month activities.