GENDER RESPONSIVE BUDGETING Gender, Women and Politics

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GENDER RESPONSIVE BUDGETINGGender, Women and
Politics
The National Democratic Institute
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Introductions/Ground rules

• Introductions
• Ground Rules
• Ice Breaker Exercise

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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

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GRB Topics

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

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Key Terms

• Gender
• Budget
• Expenditure
• Revenue
• Income
• Audit
• Accounting
• Transparency
• Accountability

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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
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What GRB is not

• Not a separate budget for women
• Doesnt necessarily seek to increase the amount
  of money spent on women
• Not an end in itself

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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

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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
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GRB requirements

• Gender knowledge
• Budget knowledge
• Issue/sector-specific knowledge

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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

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EXAMPLE SOUTH AFRICA

• Womens 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

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What is a Budget?

• Main policy statement and executing tool of
  government
• Reflection of a countrys values

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GRB and the Budget process

• Budget cycle planning, execution,
  evaluation/auditing
• Timing of GRB is critical
• Different budgeting models require different GRB
  approaches

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Budget cycle

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

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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?

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GRB stakeholders

• Government
• Lawmakers
• Civil society organizations and citizens
• International actors

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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

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Role of the legislature

• Monitoring the budget and ensuring accountability
• Auditing and reporting on spending
• Example French yellow paper

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EXAMPLE GRB IN UGANDA

• A parliamentary initiative with linkages to
  non-governmental organizations
• Budget research on ministries at the national
  level
• Sustainability

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EXERCISE GRB PLANNING

• Develop preliminary answers
• to key questions

Photo NDI
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GRB five step approach

• Step 1 Analyze the situation of women, men,
  girls and boys in a given sector

Photo Alamy
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GRB five step approach

• Step 2 Assess the gender responsiveness of
  legislation, policies, and programs
• Step 3 Assess budget allocations

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GRB five step approach

• Step 4 Monitor spending and service delivery
• Step 5 Assess outcomes

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Exercise Preliminary Analysis

• Analyze the situation
• Statistics
• Assess gender responsiveness
• Policies, programs, legislation
• Assess budget allocations

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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

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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

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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
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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
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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

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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

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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 womens access
  to services

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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

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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
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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

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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
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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

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EXERCISE GRB ROLE PLAY

• Roles
• Health and Education
• Agriculture and Rural Development
• Commerce
• Civil Service

Photo NDI
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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