GENDER RESPONSIVE BUDGETING Gender, Women and Politics

1. GENDER RESPONSIVE BUDGETINGGender, Women and Politics The National Democratic Institute

2. Introductions/Ground rules • Introductions • Ground Rules • Ice Breaker Exercise

3. Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) Objectives • To develop a basic understanding of GRB • To become familiar with the budget process and tools to make it more equitable

4. GRB Topics • What is GRB? • Benefits and goals • GRB requirements • Budget process • GRB stakeholders • Five step approach • GRB tools • Country examples

5. Key Terms • Gender • Budget • Expenditure • Revenue • Income • Audit • Accounting • Transparency • Accountability

6. What is GRB? • Analysis of budget (expenditures and revenues) from a gender perspective • Disaggregation of budget in terms of its impact on men and women • Highlights the gaps between policy and resources committed • National, regional and local levels Photo: www.pixabay.com

7. What GRB is not • Not a separate budget for women • Doesn’t necessarily seek to increase the amount of money spent on women • Not an end in itself

8. GRB Benefits • Promotes government transparency and accountability • Addresses discrimination, inefficiency and corruption • More effective use of public funds • Improves policies and contributes to economic growth • Strengthens citizen advocacy and monitoring

9. GRB goals • Raise awareness of gender issues and gender impacts of budgets and policies • Hold government accountable for budgetary and policy commitments • Better promote gender equality Photo: NDI

10. GRB requirements • Gender knowledge • Budget knowledge • Issue/sector-specific knowledge

11. GRB Enabling Environment • Access to the budget • Availability of gender-disaggregated data • Awareness of need for/benefits of GRB • Political will • Citizen support and clear objectives • Adequate resources

12. EXAMPLE: SOUTH AFRICA • Women’s Budget Initiative created by parliamentary committee and two NGOs • Analyzed national ministries, public sector employment and taxation • Case studies on local government, donor funding and job creation

13. What is a Budget? • Main policy statement and executing tool of government • Reflection of a country’s values

14. GRB and the Budget process • Budget cycle: planning, execution, evaluation/auditing • Timing of GRB is critical • Different budgeting models require different GRB approaches

15. Budget cycle • Determining the macroeconomic situation • Preparing guidelines and setting expenditure ceilings • Preparing ministry spending proposals • Securing legislative approval • Monitoring, evaluating and ensuring accountability

16. Exercise: Budget cycle • What are the procedures? • How are national priorities determined? • What are the constraints? • What is the budget format? • What is the role of ministries? • What role does the legislature play? • What are the roles of sub-national governments?

17. GRB stakeholders • Government • Lawmakers • Civil society organizations and citizens • International actors

18. Role of the legislature Pass the Budget Act • Examine and decide on budget • Ensure commitments are upheld Legislative scrutiny may be minimal: • Insufficient time or information • Lack of capacity/resources/political will • Limited power • Disproportionate influence

19. Role of the legislature • Monitoring the budget and ensuring accountability • Auditing and reporting on spending • Example: French yellow paper

20. EXAMPLE: GRB IN UGANDA • A parliamentary initiative with linkages to non-governmental organizations • Budget research on ministries at the national level • Sustainability

21. EXERCISE: GRB PLANNING Develop preliminary answers to key questions Photo: NDI

22. GRB five step approach Step 1: Analyze the situation of women, men, girls and boys in a given sector Photo: Alamy

23. GRB five step approach • Step 2: Assess the gender responsiveness of legislation, policies, and programs • Step 3: Assess budget allocations

24. GRB five step approach • Step 4: Monitor spending and service delivery • Step 5: Assess outcomes

25. Exercise: Preliminary Analysis • Analyze the situation • Statistics • Assess gender responsiveness • Policies, programs, legislation • Assess budget allocations

26. GRB tools Gender Sensitive Policy Assessment: • Links budgets to policies • Examines each budget area and related policies from a gender perspective • Considers likely gender impact of allocations and associated policies

27. GRB tools Beneficiary Assessments: • Ask intended beneficiaries to assess how public spending is meeting their needs and what their priorities are • Use opinion polls, attitude surveys, focus groups, interviews, role plays

28. GRB tools Public Expenditure Analysis: • Compares distribution of public spending among women and men • Estimates the amount spent on a given service for women and men Photo: Felicity Thompson, WHO

29. GRB tools Sex-disaggregated Analysis of Impact of the Budget on Time Use: • Focuses on the amount of unpaid work • Is this likely to increase the time that men/women spend on unpaid work? Image: www.pixababy.com

30. GRB tools Revenue Analysis: • Examines the proportion of income paid in taxes/user fees by women and men Gender Sensitive Budget Statement: • Governments can issue gender analysis of its programs and budgets

31. EXAMPLE: GRB IN TANZANIA • NGO-based GRB spurred government to start its own • GRB team includes government officials and NGO reps • Focuses on national ministries and on local budgets • Donor support

32. CASE STUDY: GRB IN INDIA • Ministry of Finance • Included a column on gender outcomes in the budget • Mandated Ministries to identify gender mainstreaming programs and improve women’s access to services

33. CASE STUDY: GRB IN INDIA • Ministry of Environment • Impact of climate change on women • Planning Commission • Ensure that national and state plans are gender sensitive • Department of Commerce • Gender implications of special economic zones

34. CASE STUDY: GRB IN INDIA • Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs • Issue of deserted wives of non-resident Indian marriages • Periodic review of female domestic servants in foreign countries • Ministry of Urban Development • Clean and safe public toilets • Adequate street lighting Photo: Vivek Chugh, rgbstock.com

35. CASE STUDY: GRB IN INDIA • Ministry of Defense • Gender inclusion and non-discrimination in armed forces • Ministry of New and Renewable Energy • Provide solar lanterns to girl students • Train women to sell and repair renewable energy devices

36. CASE STUDY: GRB IN INDIA • Ministry of Health and Family Welfare • Health insurance initiative for women • Increase immunization levels for girls • Ministry of Agriculture • National Gender Resource Centre • Increase access to credit and markets Photo: www.pixabay.com

37. GRB Lessons Learned • GRBs have the most impact when they are led by government and driven by civil society • GRB has to be institutionalized • Ongoing monitoring is essential • Research to inform policy and support advocacy • Donor-driven initiatives are not sustainable

38. EXERCISE: GRB ROLE PLAY • Roles: • Health and Education • Agriculture and Rural Development • Commerce • Civil Service Photo: NDI

39. GENDER RESPONSIVE BUDGETING REVIEW • Analysis of budget from a gender perspective • Promotes more effective use of funds • Need access to budget and data – and political will • Must be timed around budget cycle • Must be adapted and has many tools • Cross-sector initiatives are most sustainable and effective