CRPM Gender Budget Watchdog Network 2020-2022

Countries in the Western Balkans have signed most international and regional conventions on gender equality, and legislation is relatively well developed for contributing to increased gender equality. However, the lack of financing and implementation of gender equeality reforms constitue a major challenge. The introduction of gender budgeting provides an opportunity to make sure gender equality becomes a central isusue in budget processes, which will improve implementation of legislation and comittments on gender equality. Civil society has a central role to monitor the implemenation of goverment´s work with gender budgeting and engage civitcens.The project Gender Budget Watchdog Network in the Western Balkans and the Republic of Moldova will be executed in seven countries in the Danube area and the Western Balkans region: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Moldova. The project will be executed by the CSO "Center for Research and Policy Making" (CRPM) together with the organization's implementing partners. CRPM is based in North Macedonia and their implementing partners in the other countries are: Gender Alliance for Development Centre (Albania); Center for civil society promotion (Bosnia och Hercegovina); Kosovo Women’s Network (Kosovo); Women Action (Montenegro); Gender Knowledge Hub (Serbia) och Keystone Moldova (Moldova). The overall objectives of the project is to improve civil society organizations' participation in policy and budgeting processes in the Western Balkans and the Republic of Moldova by using gender budget watchdog reporting and networking. The project's purpose: (i) to strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations to use Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) tools to evaluate the correspondence of policies and budgets with needs of men and women; (ii) to develop a network for effective policy advocacy, knowledge and information sharing and strengthened government accountability; (iii) to engage citizens and contribute to policy change leading to gendered reform of public finances.The project adopts the approach based on the concept “Budget watch”, employed in the last twenty years by civil society organizations, with the mission of promoting transparency or openness of government. The gender budget watch is used in assessing whether the policies and budgets are developed in a participatory way and represent the interests of both men and women, but also a tool to assess whether public resources are distributed in just and equal way between men and women, boys and girls. The gender budget watchdog activities of CSOs will be focused on the budget as a policy document (focusing on collection of revenue and distribution of expenditures, dealing with issues like equity, fairness, and efficiency). The products of the regional gender budget watchdog network will be reports such as studies and briefs; maps; info-graphics and guides that facilitate citizen’s engagement through participation in public hearings, public debates, and various lobbying and advocacy activities. In this way the gender budget watchdog network will amend the tradition of citizens being excluded from budget decision-making. The project will put in practice the CRPM developed women’s participation models in local level policy making and budgeting.The project is developed by local organizations taking in consideration the local circumstances and needs of both citizens, civil society and government.The project will be implemented in a time framework of 36 months. Sida will finance SEK 1 120 000 ( approximately EUR 105 905) which is 10% of the total budget. The other 90% will finance by Austrian Development Agency, ADA.