20 August 2008

This issue - which coincides with the preparations of the Ghana High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness - highlights the relevance of GRB approaches to ensuring that aid management systems as articulated in the Paris Declaration incorporate a gender perspective.

The publication further explores a number of GRB initiatives (Nepal, Morocco and Egypt) where Ministries of Finance are taking the lead in introducing systems, guidelines and mechanisms to ensure that budgeting contributes to the promotion of women’s rights. The issue also mentions various efforts in support of GRB by the UN system and other agencies as well as GRB initiatives in South East Europe, Commonwealth of Independent States, Canada, and Senegal. Finally, information is provided on new resources and upcoming GRB events.

We hope you find the information useful and look forward to receiving your feedback on the present and contributions to upcoming issues.

Gender Responsive Budgeting Newsletter - Issue 2

Gender-responsive budgeting is a crucial tool for women’s empowerment. In Morocco, UNIFEM has worked with the government to create a more tailored approach in which budgeting can have a more effective and immediate impact. As this documentary illustrates, when the needs of women living in a particular geographical and cultural context are addressed, the entire community benefits. In the past four years, the Finance Ministry of Morocco has made substantial progress in developing both gender-responsive and results-oriented budgetary reform.

Click here to watch Morocco video

This flyer presents the recently approved UNIFEM proposal on “Integrating gender responsive budgeting into the aid effectiveness agenda”. The three-year programme funded by the European Commission was launched in January 2008. It seeks to demonstrate how gender responsive budgeting (GRB) tools and strategies contribute to enhancing a positive impact on gender equality of aid provided in the form of General Budget Support (GBS).

GRB and Aid Effectiveness flyer

Posted on Thaindian News on February 6th, 2008 - added on the website April 2008

New Delhi, 6 Feb 2008

The Ministry of Women and Child Development is organising a workshop to sensitise senior officials of various Central Ministries towards gender responsive budgeting. The officials of 35 Ministries will attend the residential workshop on 7th-8th February at Kuchesar, District Bulandshehar.

The objective of the workshop is to sensitise senior officials to the needs and realities of women at the grass roots. The Government has already set up gender budgeting cells in 35 Ministries to ensure a gender perspective at various stages like programme & policy formulation, review of extant policies and guidelines, reprioritisation and allocation of resources.

The two-day workshop will make assessment of needs of target groups and impact of the gender budgeting so far. Case studies and feedback on the initiative and future plan of action will be deliberated upon. The Ministry has taken a number of initiatives to use gender budgeting as a tool for empowerment of women.

The Ministry has adopted budgeting for gender equity as a mission statement. A strategic framework of activities to implement this mission has been framed and disseminated across all departments of the Central Government. The Ministry of finance has also mandated all Ministries to establish gender budgeting cells and has issued a gender charter for the same.