THE final draft of the gender-mainstreamed standard operating procedures (SOP) and guidelines for the Cordillera Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CRDRRMC)–Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is now ready for presentation to the CRDRRM Council.
The formulation of the guidelines is a follow-up on the inputs of Sphere Standards initiated in 1997 by the various organizations and the Red Cross and Red Crescent through the United Nations for Humanitarian Response to Disasters shared by Corazon Pindog of the Igorota Foundation Inc., a private organization promoting the welfare of women and on gender and development (GAD) program.
The final draft is anchored on the philosophy of the right to life with dignity with the primary aim of the responders to improve the quality of their actions during disaster response and to be accountable for them.
It also gives emphasis on the welfare of not only the women, but the other vulnerable sectors of society like the helpless children, the elderly and the persons with disabilities.
The draft was finalized by assistant Regional Director Jose Ignacio Valera with the focal persons on GAD Program of the CRDRRMC member-agencies as participants.
Once adopted by the CRRRMC, the gender-mainstreamed SOP and guidelines will be implemented by the Cordillera-EOC. (PIA)