Dr. Greta Gabinete, Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Extension of West Visayas State University led an orientation on Gender Mainstreaming for Research and Extension last August 24, 2022 at the Research and Extension Building Training Hall. Campus and college extension project leaders as well as faculty members with research proposals were invited to take part in the activity.

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (1997) define gender mainstreaming as:

Mainstreaming a gender perspective is the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in any area and at all levels. It is a strategy for making the concerns and experiences of women as well as of men an integral part of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres, so that women and men benefit equally, and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal of mainstreaming is to achieve gender equality.

Dr. Gabinete introduced the participants to the concept of  Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while Director of Gender and Development Office Dr. Jeanette Simpas discussed  the SDG for Reduced Inequalities. Resource speaker Ms. Estela F. Paredes discussed the use of Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines (HGDG) to mainstream GAD elements in the Project Development Cycle. HGDG as a planning tool ensures that programs and projects undertaken by the government are gender sensitive. A workshop concluded the activity.