Kosova Women’s Network (KWN) in close collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Ministry of Finance in Kosovo has been working to institutionalize Gender Responsive Budgeting in Kosovo. On 5 Aug., we received news that the Ministry of Finance, in accordance with the new Law on Gender Equality (2015), has incorporated Gender Responsive Budgeting in their Budget Circulars 2016/02 for central and local budget organizations. Citing Article 5.1.5 of the Law on Gender Equality, the latest Budget Circular ‘’encourages budget organizations to make the effects of public spending visible in terms of the equality of women and men, boys and girls in the annual budget for 2016.’’ This will contribute to enhancing the effectiveness and transparency of public financial management.
Moreover, the Ministry of Finance has incorporated an annex with tables that can be used to collect gender disaggregated data (proposed by KWN in collaboration with GIZ). The ministry encourages each budget organization to include these tables as an annex to their annual budget for 2016, using gender analysis of previous trends in spending on women and men to inform planned expenditures. Gender analysis of prior trends is crucial for informing specific objectives, activities and indicators towards enhancing gender equality in various sectors, in accordance with the Law on Gender Equality.
We congratulate the Ministry of Finance on their proactive work towards implementing the new Law on Gender Equality and the effort they made to encourage budget organizations to integrate Gender Responsive Budgeting into their budget documents.
