The Ministry of Human Settlements and Development (MHSD), the Housing Arm of the BARMM, placed 10th in this year’s GADsaligan Awarding held at the SMX Convention, Lanang, Davao City on December 12, 2024.

The GADsaligan Awards Ceremony was one of the highlights of the Bangsamoro Women Summit where exceptional Ministries, Offices and Agencies (MOAs) were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the Gender and Development (GAD) cause. This recognition underscored the critical role that government institutions play in promoting gender equality and empowering women in the Bangsamoro region.

The award was proudly received by MHSD’s GAD Coordinators Zuhaira U. Ebrahim and Charanie B. Pandi.

“This is MHSD’s first GAD-related recognition and we share this honor with everyone who contributed to this success. We couldn’t grab this award without the MHSD Officials who are very supportive to all our initiatives on GAD,” said GAD Coordinator Ebrahim.

“We commit to continue striving for better GAD initiatives and we are aiming for a fully functional GAD Focal Point System to ensure Gender Mainstreaming within the Ministry,” she added.

The activity was spearheaded by the Bangsamoro Women Commission (BWC), led by Chairperson Bainon G. Karon, as part of the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW). The two-day activity supported the initiative “Advancing Women, Peace and Security: Empowering Women to Sustain Peace and Resilience in the Bangsamoro”.

The summit featured thematic discussions on key issues related to women, peace, and security, including The Women’s Role in Peacebuilding: Lessons from ARMM, BARMM and Beyond, The Economic Empowerment as a Pillar of Peace and Security: Frameworks to Poverty Reduction, and Building Climate Resilient Communities for Peace and Security.