Background paper prepared for the Commonwealth Secretariat by Khabele Matlosa, Research Director, Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA) Johannesburg, South Africa.

This report explains how Development Impact Bonds (DIBs) can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of development funding. Based on Social Impact Bonds in industrialized countries, a DIB creates a contract between private investors and donors or governments who have agreed upon a shared development goal. The investors pay in advance for interventions to reach the goals and are remunerated if the interventions succeed. Returns on the investment are linked to verified progress.

The ITC/ILO gender marker is a one-digit code (on a 0 to 3 scale) used by ITC to assess ;whether or not ITC/ILO ;training activities are designed in a gender-sensitive way in order to address the needs of women and men as ultimate beneficiaries of development actions.The application of the marker is preceded by appropriate awareness-raising sessions and accompanied by guidance from gender specialists (if needed). This coding system is grounded in the gender accountability work done by...

This report synthesises findings from a two year research and advocacy programme "Just Budgets" carried out in partnership with four leading African civil society organisations. The aim of the programme was to explore how gender responsive budgeting (GRB) could be applied to new aid modalities (budget and sector support) in order to strengthen gender equality outcomes in development cooperation. The research was a response to aid financing reforms articulated in the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid...

Transformative financing for gender equality and women’s empowerment commitments:  Expectations from Financing for Development Conference  Gender equality and women’s empowerment are central to the achievement of sustainable development. The Rio+20 outcome document, “The Future We Want” (A/Res/66/288), reaffirmed the vital role of women and the need for their full and equal participation and leadership in the economic, social and environmental dimensions of...

This report by Nalini Burn, Larabi Jaidi and Hayat Zirari (2005) is a diagnostic study designed to analyse the potential of gender mainstreaming in the budget process of Morocco's communes. This study, which is part of a an international initiative supported by UNIFEM and the European Union, is concerned with gender mainstreaming in budget systems and practices at local level and within a context of decentralisation.

This publication results from widespread participation in a UNDP network discussion entitled Towards a "Local Governance and Development Agenda: Lessons and Challenges". The report aims to summarize and disseminate this interesting e-discussion, and to link people, knowledge products and projects related to these relevant topics, from the local to the global area and vice versa. Its views, approaches and strategies should contribute to current debates, and lead to more effective support from...

This report highlights the work carried out by UNIFEM and its partners throughout the lifetime of the project, Local Level Gender Responsive Budgets Initiatives. The overall objective of the programme was to advocate for and support the transformation of economic governance and leadership into a more gender responsive governance in order to improve gender equality and increase women's participation in decision making process that shape their lives.

The purpose of this paper, prepared by Raman Sohal Research Officer, International Development Research Centre, June 2005, is to present an overview of the existing and potential approaches and tools for identifying gender gaps at the local level. The paper is informed by feedback from participants who attended the International Meeting on Local Level Gender Budgeting that was convened by the United Nations Funds for Women's Development (UNIFEM), the National Institute of Public Finance and...

This paper discusses a wide range of issues related to the topic of gender budgets, including the concept of engendering budgets in relation to poverty, development, macro and micro level economics, the challenges to integrating gender into policy, as well as good governance among other issues. The paper closes with lessons learned from the gender budgeting experience in Oaxaca, Mexico.