TEMPS FORTS

Since the start the COVID-19 pandemic, almost USD 16 trillion has been pumped into the global economy, and governments are now rolling out second and third phases of support. With the introduction of vaccines, some countries can begin to get the pandemic under control and start investing in recovery. Most countries, however, are still grappling with the pandemic’s immediate health and socio-economic fallout, including its outsized impact on women. While the adoption of policy measures to prevent or respond to the surge in violence against women is more widespread, the social protection and jobs response has not adequately supported women’s economic security nor addressed care work or the financing of care services. This policy brief presents entry points for the application of gender-responsive budgeting to COVID-19 support and recovery packages. Drawing on country examples, this brief provides recommendations on the use of gender budgeting tools to identify gaps in policy responses and direct spending towards gender responsive COVID-19 measures.

The 2021 ECOSOC FfD Forum is being held from 12-15 April 2021 via a hybrid in-person and virtual platform. It provides an inclusive space to advance action-oriented dialogue on solutions on financing the COVID-19 recovery and sustainable development on the path to 2030. It aims to build momentum for urgent global action to tackle challenges to the achievement of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda across all its seven action areas in the context of COVID-19 and beyond. The event brings together heads...

As the world continues to grapple with the wide-ranging impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the innovation, accountability and effectiveness of public administrations to respond to the crisis and to ensure a green, inclusive and sustainable recovery is more crucial than ever. The pandemic has further underscored the need for governments and institutions to be better prepared for a crisis in all its forms. Whether a health pandemic, natural disaster, climate change, or economic shocks,...

On 1 July 2020 the Secretary-General launched a series of roundtables of renowned economists to address critical issues in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first roundtable  focused on three pressing areas profoundly affected by the crisis: external debt, external finance and international trade.Please see summary attached.  The second roundtable in the series on 3 September 2020, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. (EDT) , which shifts focus to look at the two defining issues - jobs and climate action.

This brief paper was written by UN Women, in consultation with the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) and the Institute for Social Transformation, drawing on national E-conference in May 2020 on inclusiveness in the National Budget 2020/2021. The paper targets Legislators and the Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED), calling for Government to assess the impacts of COVID-19 and other natural disasters on different...

The 2019 review and redesign of the Gender Responsive Results-Based Budgeting Report (RBG), more commonly referred to as the "Gender Report," in Morocco has led to a series of recommendations for 2020. With support from UN Women Morocco, the review set out to strengthen GR content to ensure it is a strategic accountability tool for monitoring and evaluating public policies from a gender perspective. It focused on assessing the contribution of the GR to the implementation and monitoring of GRB in Morocco, as well as challenges, including the lack of joint ownership of GRB by ministerial departments and the limited use of sector-specific gender analyses. Starting next year, the Gender Report (GR) will be more standardized to make it easier for users to access and provide information. This will include a clearer drafting framework for contributing line ministries and alignment with a new analytical approach.

A recent blog by UN Women presents analysis and lessons from the 2018 monitoring round for SDG Indicator 5.c.1, shedding light on government efforts to design and implement gender budget tracking systems.  Data from 69 countries show that despite global progress in adopting gender budgeting, gaps persist in the implementation of policies and laws on gender equality and women’s empowerment. Less than half of the reporting countries indicated having adequate resource allocations...

17 July 2019 – On the margins of the 2019 High-Level Political Forum, UN Women convened an interactive dialogue on gender responsive budgeting with ministers from Rwanda, Sweden and Serbia. The dialogue provided an opportunity for Member States to critically reflect on their progress and learn from other countries.     Zohra Khan, UN Women’s Policy Advisor, shared experience from supporting gender responsive budgeting in more than 80 countries. The discussion addressed the...

This animated video presents the journey of gender responsive budgeting (GRB) over ten years of implementation in Serbia. Produced by UN Women Serbia, it focuses on how GRB can analyze the effects of the budget on the lives of women and men and identify inequalities based on gender. In particular, the video highlights how GRB can be used to influence and improve demographic policies.

The United Nations is accepting nominations for the 2019 United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA). The UNPSA promotes and rewards innovation and excellence in public services in support of the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the principle of leaving no one behind. In 2019, nominations for the Awards are invited in five categories:1. Delivering inclusive and equitable services to leave no one behind 2. Ensuring integrated approaches in the public-sector...

Due to gender discrimination and restrictive social roles, women and girls from ethnic minority groups in Viet Nam are particularly vulnerable to violence and discrimination. With financial support from the Government of Ireland, UN Women and the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs (CEMA) published a report on “Figures on Ethnic Minority Women and Men in Viet Nam 2015” presenting first-ever sex disaggregated  data on the socio-economic situation of the 53 recognized ethnic...

From 11-16 August 2018,  the Afghanistan Office of the President, supported by UN Women and UNDP, organized a visit of senior government officials from Afghanistan to Indonesia to learn about their experiences implementing gender-responsive budgeting. Indonesia’s successful GRB story as helped the government to effectively distribute public funds to address the needs of women and men. The visit contributed to the development of a community of practice which opens dialogues between...

UN Women's Training Center will offer online moderated courses on GRB in English, French and Spanish from 3 September to 23 November, 2018. Courses will enhance the analytical and practical skills of GRB practitioners and identify key strategies for practical GRB implementation.  Courses will offer practical analysis and strategies from GRB theory to practice. Register by 5 August 2018 by clicking  here ! Inscrivez-vous jusqu’au 5 août 2018 en cliquant...

The twelfth edition of the European Development Days (EDD) took place in Brussels from 5 - 6 June 2018 under the overarching theme"Women and Girls at the Forefront of Sustainable Development: protect, empower, invest." At the EDD, UN Women organized a High-Level lab Debate on Gender Responsive Budgeting. The session was moderated by Ermira Lubani, UN Women's Regional GRB Manager, who emphasized UN Women's work in Europe and central Asia with the support of ADA, Swiss-Development and the EU....

Details on how to register for UN Women Training Center's upcoming Gender Responsive Budgeting webinars in French and Spanish. Please read more for access to direct registration links.

2018 marked the first year gender equality was featured as part of the main Financing for Development (FFD) Forum programme. An expert session brought together three leading experts to review trends in financing for gender equality and explore options to increase fiscal space at the national and local level.

Please enter text for 2018 Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank Group

18 April 2018 - UN Women, in collaboration with International Monetary Fund (IMF), will present an introduction to gender responsive budgeting in lead up to the 2018 Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank Group. This interactive discussion will address how to shape fiscal policy to close critical gender gaps and the importance of promoting women's active participation in planning and budgeting. Zohra Khan, Chief (OiC) Leadership and Governance, UN Women and Lisa Kolovich,...

11 February 2018, World Government Summit - Experts from the International Monetary Fund, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Gender Balance Council and the Ministry of Finance, United Arab Emirates, and UN Women exchanged best practices in implementing gender responsive budgeting around the world. During the high-level panel Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the IMF, said gender budgeting can make a difference in the lives of women and men...

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Indicator 5.c.1 “Proportion of countries with systems to track and make public allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment” has been recently reclassified as Tier II by the Inter-Agency Expert Group on SDGs. The indicator measures progress towards Target 5c of the SDGs to “adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels”. It links the policy and legal requirements for gender equality with resource allocations for their implementation. By tracking resource allocations, governments introduce deliberate measures into the planning and budgeting cycle to meet their gender policy objectives such as eliminating gender based violence or increasing women’s employment. By making these allocations public, governments commit to higher levels of transparency and accountability in budget decision making.

The new, interactive Innovation Lab at the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings will feature a ‘coffee chat’ discussion Budgeting for Gender Equality: from Policy to Reality from 3:00 to 3:30 PM (EST) on 12 October 2017 . Zohra Khan (UN Women) will join Lisa Kolovich (IMF) and Albert Musisi (Government of Uganda) to discuss the successes and challenges of gender budgeting. Zohra will discuss  UN Women’s experience in supporting gender budgeting, sharing important lessons and...

The UN Women Training Centre is pleased to announce an exciting advanced training opportunity on Gender Responsive Budgeting. This face-to-face course aims to combine theory with hands-on training to develop technical skills for implementing specific Gender Responsive Budgeting tools related to governmental spending. The course will be offered in Spanish from 18-22 September in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and in English from 9-13 October in Belgrade, Serbia.

On the margins of the 2017 FfD Forum, the Permanent Mission of Ecuador and UN Women organized a side event "Transformative Financing for Gender Equality: Driving the Agenda Forward," bringing together high-level Member State representatives to build political support for increased financing for gender equality and women’s empowerment. The event featured interventions from Ecuador, the European Union, Costa Rica, Canada and South Africa and UN-Women. Panelists emphasized the importance of robust financing for the full and effective implementation of gender equality commitments.

The Working Party of Senior Budget Officials, as part of the Directorate of Public Governance of the OECD, convened an Experts Meeting on Gender Budgeting from 18 - 19 May 2017 in Reykjavik, Iceland. The meeting brought together senior budget officials from OECD and non-OECD countries, as well as multilateral organizations, to share experiences and promote cross-country learning on gender responsive budgeting. UN Women was invited to present its new methodology for SDG Indicator 5.c.1 which measures the “proportion of countries with systems to track and make public allocations to gender equality and women’s empowerment”. This SDG indicator has been developed by UN Women, UNDP and the OECD in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and will be crucial for countries to assess progress towards achieving SDG5.

UN Women, in collaboration with the OECD and UNDP, convened an expert meeting on gender responsive budgeting in New York on 27-28 March 2017. Bringing together national governments, academics, multilateral organizations and civil society, the meeting, informed by a discussion paper by Diane Elson, proposed a refined methodology for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Indicator 5.c.1 and agreed the main components of the survey instrument.

Based on UN Women's experience supporting the implementation of Gender-Responsive Budgeting, the UN Women Training Centre located in Santo Domingo has developed courses on Gender-Responsive Budgeting for basic, intermediate and advanced participants in three languages, i.e. English, Spanish and French.

Making gender equality and women’s empowerment a reality requires dedicated and consistent funding. Highlighting the key role that financing for gender equality will have for the future global development agenda, UN Women, in collaboration with the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITC-ILO) and the European Commission (EC) convened a global workshop entitled “Increasing Financing for Gender Equality: Lessons Learned and the Way Forward,” from 3-5 June 2015 in Brussels, Belgium.

La troisième Conférence internationale sur le financement du développement se tiendra à Addis-Abeba, en Éthiopie, du 13 au 16 juillet 2015. Cette réunion rassemblera des Chefs d’État, des ministres des Finances, des Affaires étrangères et de la Coopération au développement, ainsi que des organisations non gouvernementales et des représentants des entreprises et du secteur privé. Cette conférence devrait déboucher sur des négociations intergouvernementales et sur un document final convenu, qui contribuera aux efforts de mise en œuvre du programme de développement pour l’après-2015.

On the margins of the Second Drafting Session on the outcome document of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD), a joint side event was organized by UN Women in collaboration with the Swedish Government, OECD and Women's Working Group on the FfD. The Second Drafting Session, which took place in New York from 13 to 17 April, 2015 provided an opportunity to the delegations to provide their views on a Zero Draft outcome document prepared after the deliberations of the First Drafting Session earlier this year. The side event gathered key actors, including from government ministries, international financial institutions and the United Nations, testifying to the significant practical experiences as well as advances seen and gaps remaining in means and mechanisms ensuring gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Au cours de cette manifestation parallèle, les possibilités de financement de la nouvelle série d’engagements internationaux à l’égard de l’égalité des sexes et des droits des femmes ont été étudiées, en se basant sur la proposition du groupe de travail ouvert et en tenant compte de la publication prochaine d’un rapport du Comité intergouvernemental d’experts sur le financement du développement durable. Les possibilités de renforcement du soutien politique à ces objectifs y ont également été abordées. Cette manifestation a donné l’occasion aux gouvernements, aux partenaires de développement et à la société civile de formuler des recommandations pour le financement de l’égalité des sexes en vue des négociations intergouvernementales sur le programme de développement pour l’après-2015 et de la troisième Conférence internationale sur le financement du développement.

Le Maroc a une longue expérience de la budgétisation sensible au genre et une volonté politique inébranlable, au plus haut niveau, de défendre l’égalité des sexes. Depuis l’adoption d’une nouvelle loi de finances en janvier 2014, les dépenses réalisées par les autorités reflètent de plus en plus les besoins des femmes et des filles, et les priorités en matière de genre sont intégrées dans l’ensemble du processus de budgétisation.

Afin de préparer la troisième Conférence internationale sur le financement du développement, la première session de rédaction du document final s’est tenue à New York du 28 au 30 janvier 2015. Cette session a donné l’occasion aux gouvernements, aux organisations multilatérales, à la société civile, au secteur privé et aux autres parties prenantes d’échanger des idées et de discuter des propositions destinées au projet de document final de la réunion d’Addis-Abeba. Un document exposant brièvement les éléments significatifs et les principales idées politiques a été préparé en vue de la session, qui a constitué la base de la discussion.

ONU Femmes et la Banque mondiale ont lancé l’initiative mondiale Communauté de pratique sur l’égalité des sexes des ministres des Finances au printemps 2014, à l’occasion des Assemblées annuelles du Groupe de la Banque mondiale et du Fonds monétaire international. Cette initiative est née d’une proposition de la ministre des Finances du Nigéria, Mme Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, avancée lors des Assemblées annuelles d’octobre 2013. La Communauté de pratique vise à encourager l’octroi de ressources financières à la défense de l’égalité des sexes et à faire en sorte que les budgets nationaux se montrent plus efficaces pour offrir des possibilités aux femmes et aux filles. La Communauté de pratique favorise l’apprentissage et les échanges en soutenant des approches novatrices sous la houlette des ministères des Finances.

Ce documentaire montre concrètement comment les plans et budgets sectoriels peuvent être amenés à tenir compte de la problématique hommes-femmes. Cette vidéo illustre les travaux réalisés en Inde par le ministère des Sciences et des Technologies et le ministère de l’Agriculture et de la Coopération au niveau de l’Union (local). L’expérience montre comment dans les deux secteurs...

Les OSC dirigées par des femmes jouent un rôle crucial dans la budgétisation sensible au genre. En Serbie, l’Association Fenomena (OSC) a mené une initiative afin de réclamer de meilleurs services pour les femmes et les filles dans une sélection de villes et communes. Cette OSC a collaboré avec huit organisations de femmes de sept villes et communes pour influencer les plans et budgets locaux dans de nombreux secteurs en lien avec la vie des femmes. Une analyse des budgets communaux et municipaux a été réalisée afin de déterminer si les femmes et les hommes bénéficiaient de la même façon des enveloppes budgétaires.

Dans différentes régions, ONU Femmes a appuyé la création de Centres d’excellence de la budgétisation sensible au genre afin de favoriser l’apprentissage, l’innovation et les échanges relatifs à la celle-ci. Ces centres apportent des connaissances et des outils essentiels et renforcent les capacités techniques des administrations publiques au profit de la budgétisation sensible au genre. À ce jour, il existe trois centres régionaux : Le Centre d’excellence de la budgétisation sensible au genre (CE-BSG) du Maroc, le Centre d’excellence de la budgétisation sensible au genre pour la CEI et le Centre d’excellence de la budgétisation sensible au genre du Mozambique.

UN Women Training Centre has opened registration to the Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) course in Spanish. It will take place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from 18 to 23 February 2018 at the UN Women Training Centre. All interested governmental policymakers and development practitioners are encouraged to complete the application form by 31 January 2018.

  FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT (FfD) WHAT’S AT STAKE FOR GENDER EQUALITY   V oice, P articipation and C o ntributions of civil society organizations and the women’s movement within Financing for Development (FfD) discussions MUST increase at all levels!!!   WHAT is Financing for Development really about? The (re) distribution, allocation and utilization of financial resources to meet development needs. Transforming investment into concrete action in order...

La troisième Conférence internationale sur le financement du développement, qui aura lieu en juillet 2015, sera l’occasion idéale pour faire en sorte que les stratégies de financement permettent le respect des engagements pris envers l’égalité des sexes et l’autonomisation des femmes. Les droits des femmes peuvent être intégrés au financement du développement si l’on s’attelle à faire progresser l’égalité des sexes par le biais des dépenses publiques, de l’augmentation des revenus, de la responsabilisation des investissements du secteur privé, du suivi et de l’évaluation, et du financement direct. Une manifestation parallèle a été organisée en marge des sessions informelles consacrées au financement du développement pour étudier la façon dont le financement du développement devrait favoriser la réalisation de l’égalité des sexes et l’exercice des droits des femmes. Cette manifestation parallèle a réuni des représentants des gouvernements du Nord et du Sud, et de la société civile. Elle a largement contribué à susciter une volonté politique et un élan en faveur de l’égalité des sexes et des droits des femmes, qui sont devenus des piliers essentiels du nouveau programme de financement du développement.

Au Cameroun, ONU Femmes a appuyé des efforts visant à institutionnaliser la budgétisation sensible au genre au sein des conseils locaux et à obliger les autorités locales à rendre compte davantage. Ce projet a renforcé les capacités techniques des conseils locaux à intégrer les priorités en matière de genre dans leurs processus de planification et de budgétisation et à renforcer les capacités des groupes de femmes à suivre et faire appliquer par les conseils les budgets axés sur les produits. En conséquence, 10 des 16 conseils locaux ont adopté des décisions visant à accroître les ressources financières destinées à l’égalité des sexes, et les 16 conseils ont créé des Fondations féminines pour une gouvernance inclusive (WOFIG – Women Foundations for Inclusive Governance), dont les membres occupent des fonctions politiques liées à la prise de décisions, surtout en ce qui concerne l’attribution des ressources et des budgets.

The Government of Andalusia has presented, as part of its 2018 Budget Bill, its Gender Impact Assessment Report. The report is an ex ante evaluation of the resources that the Government of Andalusia allocates to the promotion of gender equality. The Report, together with G + Program and Gender Budgeting Audits, are the main elements of the Gender Budgeting strategy in the Andalusian region.

Le suivi des dotations financières et des modalités de leur dépense est capital au renforcement de la responsabilité à rendre compte quant au financement en faveur de l’égalité des sexes. L’organisation de la société civile canadienne AWID (Association pour les droits de la femme et le développement) a créé un partenariat avec l’Instituto del Tercer Mundo/Social Watch, des économistes féministes, et d’autres organisations de défense des droits des femmes et instituts de recherche pour mettre au point un tableau de bord innovateur, FundHer (« Le financement au féminin »), afin d’évaluer le financement octroyé par les donateurs et de s’adapter à l’évolution du monde de la coopération au développement.

(Cross posted on www.unwomen.org) From letting women have a say in where village water holes are built, to ensuring cash-transfer programmes benefit all, to making sure women have maternal health clinics nearby and can access them when the need arises ­– financing for gender equality is the means to ensure that women’s needs are met in development planning.Financing for development is about money. For development to reach people in all parts of the world, adequate financing is required so that commitments made by world leaders translate into action. For funds to benefit everyone equally and equitably, targeted efforts are often needed. For example, if women don’t have access to safe transportation or low-cost childcare, few will be able to take advantage of important social or vocational programmes.