The Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) has sent letters with budget recommendations for 2027 to five ministries and the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council, calling for the planning and allocation of public funds to be carried out in accordance with the principles of Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) and to address the different needs of women and men, girls and boys.
The recommendations, based on KWN’s research and evidence, aim to contribute to women’s economic empowerment, improve services for survivors of gender-based violence, advance labour rights and social care, and strengthen transparency and accountability in public financial management.
In its letter to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development, KWN called for increased access for women to agricultural grants and subsidies through affirmative measures, as well as greater financial support for sectors in which women are engaged, including horticulture, livestock farming, food processing, and agritourism. KWN also recommended funding women’s organisations to provide training, counselling, and mentoring to rural women, as well as involving women farmers in public consultations on the design of support schemes.
Regarding the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council, the recommendations focus on strengthening institutional capacities to address gender-based violence. KWN called for ensuring sufficient specialised prosecutors and victim advocates, funding continuous professional training, improving infrastructure and conditions for supporting victims, and providing psychological support to staff handling these cases. Another recommendation concerns strengthening the free telephone helpline of the Victim Advocacy and Assistance Office.
In its recommendations to the Ministry of Justice, KWN called for the allocation of at least €150,727 to ensure the full operationalisation of the SOS Emergency Helpline, as well as the establishment of a Referral Centre and a Rape Crisis Centre for survivors of sexual violence, with €218,966 recommended in subsidies for the latter. KWN also called for sufficient funding to implement the National Strategy for Protection against Domestic Violence, Violence against Women and Gender-Based Violence 2027–2031, programmes for the treatment of perpetrators, and support for women’s organisations providing specialised services. KWN further emphasised the importance of funding initiatives that promote gender-responsive transitional justice.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Internal Affairs was urged to invest in training and certifying police officers to address gender-based violence, as well as restructuring and strengthening investigative units. The recommendations include purchasing 110 computers for domestic violence investigators, establishing safe and private spaces for interviewing survivors, operationalising the electronic bracelet system for monitoring protection orders, and strengthening capacities to investigate technology-facilitated violence. KWN also called for affirmative measures to increase the representation of women from different communities within the Kosovo Police.
In its letter to the Ministry of Labour, Family and Liberation War Values, KWN recommended ensuring sustainable funding for pensions and rehabilitation and reintegration services for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. KWN also called for the establishment of a dedicated budget line of €2,339,631 for shelters providing services to survivors of gender-based violence. The recommendations further include establishing emergency funds for Centres for Social Work, improving wages and working conditions for care service providers, expanding services for persons with disabilities and older persons, and strengthening the Labour Inspectorate to address gender discrimination and violations of women’s labour rights.
Regarding the Ministry of Finance, KWN recommended allocating approximately €707,078 annually to employ additional social workers in Centres for Social Work, with specific responsibilities for addressing cases of gender-based violence. KWN also called for approximately €31.5 million to fund personal assistance services, ensuring that workers providing these services receive wages at least equivalent to the minimum wage of €500 per month.
Beyond specific budget allocations, KWN called on the Ministry of Finance to improve the implementation of GRB throughout the budget process. This includes reviewing the quality of budget proposals from a gender perspective, returning insufficient GRB annexes for revision, and ensuring their publication. KWN also recommended that the Ministry of Finance, in cooperation with the Agency for Gender Equality, prepare and publish a Gender Budget Statement for 2027, outlining how budget allocations contribute to advancing gender equality.
Gender-Responsive Budgeting is a legal obligation, not merely a recommendation. Law No. 05/L-020 on Gender Equality requires the integration of a gender perspective at every stage of the budget process. Furthermore, the implementation of GRB is linked to Kosovo’s commitments to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Indicator 5.c.1, and international standards for gender-responsive public financial management.
KWN calls on the responsible institutions to review and incorporate these recommendations during the finalisation of the 2027 Budget, ensuring that public funds address the needs of citizens and contribute to reducing gender inequalities.
A gender-responsive budget does not necessarily require additional financial resources, but rather fairer, more transparent, and more effective planning and allocation of public funds. Through these recommendations, KWN seeks to contribute to a budget that translates commitments to gender equality into concrete measures and services that improve the lives of women and girls in Kosovo.
