UN Women Gender Responsive Budgeting Western Balkans 2020 - 2024

Since it's start, the program has made a positive impact towards the improvement of several reforms, including related to PFM. It has contributed to the recognition by countries and institutions of the importance of gender responsive budgeting as an approach to mainstream gender. A process has started of institutionalising gender responsive budgeting in the targeted countries, although it varies among the countries how far they have come. Albania and Serbia represent best practice in the region for implementation of GRB, but also globally. Albania stands among the 19% of countries which are successful in the implementation of GRB, as reported by the global SDG database. Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo have more steps to go through, including different aspects of PFM reforms, before proper gender-responsive budgeting can be applied. There are indications that the target countries increasingly apply gender-responsive budgeting and gender mainstreaming in the public sector. There is an increase in the number of budgetary programs that mainstream gender in the region. In Albania, overall allocations for gender equality in the national budget have increased and reached the target 10%. The number of local governments in Western Balkan countries that have policies and practices in place to implement gender responsive budgeting increased to 77 in total as of 2023. The program has contributed to these results. The program has contributed to increased knowledge and capacity related to gender-responsive budgeting in all targeted countries through trainings, capacity building activities and technical assistance. This has contributed to the above-mentioned results around application of gender-responsive budgeting. The program has contributed to improved governance systems for gender responsive budgeting in the countries. As an example, the program has contributed to improved guidelines and instructions on gender-responsive budgeting issued by ministries of finance (13 in 2023, in total 45 throughout the program). The project has also facilitated implementation of initiatives by gender institutional mechanisms in support of budget users on engendering budget documents (12 in 2023, in total 53 throughout the program). Through the program's work and partnerships with State Audit Institutions (SAIs) in the Western Balkan countries, there has been an increased demand for gender responsive budgeting as well as pressure put on governments to act in accordance with gender responsive budgeting. The recommendations to governments from gender related audits has implied a formal accountability mechanism for governements related to gender-responsive budgeting. The program has supported 12 monitoring initiatives in total (such as gender related audits) conducted by oversight bodies on GRB implementation, 8 were conducted during 2023. In addition, media stories about GRB have been published as a result of UN Women's training for media professionals. The situation and results on GRB are different in the different countries, where some are more advanced than others, some faces more difficulties than others etc. UN Women has used tailor made interventions and activities for each country context. The regional exchange component has been appreciated, not the least among the less advanced countries. Albania: Compared to previous years, governance systems in Albania are more transparent and accountable to meet gender equality commitments, as GRB plays an important role in the state budget's planning and design. All budget instructions incorporate gender responsive budgeting, and refined annually, ensuring that gender considerations are systematically integrated throughout the budget cycles. The tracking of gender-related expenditures has been strengthened, promoting greater accountability and transparency in the budgeting process. As a way of institutionalising knowledge generation around GRB, the Albanian School of Public Administration has included training on GRB in the regular curriculum. In 2023, 41,4 % of all budgetary programs in Albania were gender mainstreamed (53 out of 128 budgetary programs of 11 ministries and 2 state institutions), which amounted to 10 % allocation for gender equality of the total budget in the medium-term budget framework 2024-2026. Albania has shown a steady increase in the number of budgetary programs that mainstream gender since the program started (45 in 2021, 47 in 2022, 53 in 2023). Citizens of Albania better understand the planned budget allocations, including gender-related, as a result of including gender-sensitive sections in the Ministry of Finance's publication Citizens' Budget, supported by UN Women. In 2023, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection has started to advocate for the use of gender key performance indicators in the medium-term budget program, as a result of UN Women's partnership with them. Albania's Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) SAI conducted 2 gender related audits in 2023. As a result of the project's partnership with the media, 55 human interest stories related to GRB were published in 2023. Bosnia and Hercegovina: After several years of supporting processes towards GRB in BiH, budget circulars and draft amendments of the state level Law on Financing of BiH Institutions now include a reference to gender responsive budgeting, which implies important steps in achieving mandatory, standardized and sustainable use of gender responsive budgeting. In 2023, 15 governmental institutions allocated resources to gender equality objectives/programmes in their budget framework and used sex-disaggregated data to inform budget decisions. Three local self governance units have adopted gender inclusive mid-term budget frameworks and taken initiatives to apply gender-responsive budgeting in policy and budgetary making processes with firts time adoptions of gender responsive budget circulars. Three audit initiatives were taken on the implementation of SDG 5 by the state level SAI and the two entity level audit institutions. Kosovo: The design of a new law on PFM and procurement have started, where the plan is to include gender responsive budgeting. UN Women has provided expert support to the Ministry of Finance throughout the process. The project has supported the MoF to pilot the design of Gender Budget Statements in four line ministries. Starting from 2024, the new Budget Circular requirements obligate the budget organisations to conduct gender budget analysis and clearly outline the effects of public spending on gender equatlity. 13 local self government units (LSGU) in Kosovo have adopted gender-inclusive mid-term budget frameworks. 16 partner municipalities took a total of 20 initiatives to apply gender in policy and budgetary processes. 6 LSGUs revised their municipal Gender Action Plan (GAP) to better address women's needs in employment, education, and agriculture. The changes were based on recommendations from a sectoral gender analysis supported by UN Women. In addition, two audit performance reports on gender-related subjects were published by the SAI. Serbia: In 2023, gender equality was additionally integrated in budgetary processes. These were results of the program's expert guidance and capacity building support to national and provincial governments, as well as the government's plan for gender-responsive budgeting introduction (the Budget System Law) and the law on gender equality. 90% of budget users have introduced GRB and improved gender equality by financing 117 budget programmes. At the local level, five more LSGUs introduced GRB in their 2024 budgets. Regional: Regional best practices have been replicated within the region, in 2023, 3 new best practices were replicated by government officials in the project countries. As North Macedonia is part of the regional component, this program has synergies with the bilateral gender-responsive governance program in North Macedonia. The regional centre for gender-responsive budgeting in North Macedonia has continued to provide support to the regional capacity building providing three services to the key stakeholders from the project countries. However, due to the worrying anti-gender trend in the country it is uncertain whether the centre will be able to continue its activities in the same way as previously.

Overall goal: Project countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo, and Serbia) systematically integrate gender equality and become more transparent at all stages of national and local policymaking and budgeting processes. Outcome 1: National and local governments apply gender responsive budgeting to integrate gender equality principles in public financing processes Output 1.1: Ministries of Finance, Line Ministries and National Gender Equality (GE) Machineries have knowledge and evidence to make informed budgetary allocation towards GE in line with national, and international commitments Output 1.2: Local governments have the capacity to apply Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) tools in their plans and budgets Output 1.3: Government officials share knowledge and best practices across the region on GRB Outcome 2: Public oversight bodies, women including the disadvantaged, demand transparency and accountability of public policies and budgets to gender equality processes Output 2.1: Parliament and oversight bodies have capacities to monitor and advocate for gender responsive policies and budgets Output 2.2: Gender equality advocates are able to raise issues related to Financing for GE Output 2.3: Women, including the disadvantaged, are able to voice their needs and act as agents of change in planning and budgetary process Output 2.4: Oversight bodies are able to share knowledge and best practices across the region on GRB