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Promoting gender equality and
women’s participation through
community-driven development
Joel Mangahas, Human and Social Development Division, South-East Asia Department;
Yukiko Ito and Rosemary Victoria Atabug, Thematic Advisory Service Cluster,
Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, Asian Development Bank
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sia, home to more than half of the world’s popu-
lation, has an unfinished agenda in achieving
gender equality; empowering all women and girls
remains a serious challenge. Gender equality, critical in
its own right, is essential for improved inclusive growth,
faster poverty reduction, and better education and health
outcomes for attaining the Sustainable Development
Goals. Women and girls must enjoy equal access to quality
education, economic resources and political participation,
as well as equal opportunities with men and boys for
employment, leadership and decision-making at all levels.
The Philippines ranks among the top gender-equal coun-
tries in the world. Yet many women still suffer from gender
inequality – having lesser access to basic services; stereotyped
as weak, powerless and vulnerable; and relegated to a second-
ary role in the home and in the community. Gradually, yet
markedly, a community-driven development (CDD) project
of the Philippine Government, the Kalahi-Comprehensive and
Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) managed
by the Department of Social Welfare and Development since
2003, has made inroads on gender inequality.
CDD promotes equity and inclusiveness, efficiency and
good governance. Equity and inclusiveness are achieved
by effectively targeting vulnerable and excluded groups,
putting resources under the direct control of poor people,
and scaling up poverty reduction measures as needed.
Studies show that the efficiency of CDD results from the
demand-driven allocation of resources, reduced corrup-
tion, lowered costs and increased cost recovery, and
better quality of goods and services. Good governance is
promoted through greater transparency and accountability
in the use of resources resulting from community participa-
tion in decision-making processes.
A newly built three-classroom school building/evacuation centre constructed by men and women in Sorsogon Province
Image: Yukiko Ito, Asian Development Bank
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