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CHED MEMORANDUM ORDER No. ____ Series of ____ ESTABLISHING THE POLICIES AND GUIDELINES ON GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION AND HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS (HEIs) RATIONALE AND MANDATES The Philippines, being a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which was ratified by the Philippine government on July 19, 1981 and came into effect on September 4, 1981, is obligated to pursue and implement programs, projects and activities that will contribute to the achievement of women’s empowerment and gender equality. Known as the International Bill of Rights of Women, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was adopted by the United Nations in 1979 and took effect on September 4, 1981. Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. The CEDAW defines discrimination against women as “any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil, or any other field.” (CEDAW, Part I, Article I) The CEDAW is complemented by the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), the resulting document of the Fourth UN World Conference on Women held in Beijing in September 1995. The BPFA is an “agenda for women’s empowerment aimed at removing all the obstacles to women’s active participation in all sphere of public and private life through a full and equal share in economic, social, cultural and political decision-making at home, in the workplace and in the wider national and international communities. Equality is a matter of human rights and a condition for social justice.” (Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Mission Statement, passim) The country’s compliance with the CEDAW and BFPA, which it adopted in 1995, holds much significance in the drive towards gender awareness and sensitivity, and more important, in the institutionalization of gender policies, standards and guidelines as a way of life for the Philippines. This principle of equality between men and women is enshrined in the Philippine Constitution, to wit: The State recognizes the role of women in nation-building, and shall ensure the fundamental equality before the law of women and men. (1987 Philippine Constitution, Article II, Section 14) The Women in Development and Nation Building Act or Republic Act No. 7192, enacted in 1992, reiterates this principle of gender equality and directed all government departments and agencies to “review and revise all their regulations to remove gender bias therein.” (Section 2)