Today, on 8 November, Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) together with UN Women have sent a public letter to the deputies of the Republic of Kosovo, listing the recommendations for the Law on Budget Appropriations for 2022. Addressing these recommendations is vital to furthering the  institutionalization of gender responsive budgeting.

Given the important legislative role of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo in representing the common good, KWN and UN Women expect that these recommendations will be pushed forward in the budget hearing. The recommendations are based on a thorough analysis of the draft budget approved by the Government, as well as on various gender research and analysis by KWN and UN Women. Only by considering these recommendations can we ensure that public funds contribute to the further advancement of gender equality in Kosovo.

We recall that gender responsive budgeting requires allocation of funds to address the potentially different needs of women, men, boys and girls, identified through gender analysis. The Law on Gender Equality also makes gender responsive budgeting mandatory for public institutions in Kosovo, including municipalities, ministries, and other budget organizations.

Key recommendations include:

• Insist on receiving and reviewing a thorough Gender Impact Assessment of the Law on Budget Appropriations for 2022, in line with Kosovo Gender Impact Assessment standards as required as part of the Regulatory
• Request expertise and invite the Agency for Gender Equality and independent gender experts including WCSOs with expertise in gender-responsive budgeting, including KWN, to participate in the Parliamentary Committee on Budget and Transfers, and Committee for Human Rights, Gender Equality, Missing Persons and Petitions hearings on the draft Law on Budget Appropriations for 2022, to provide insight from a gender perspective prior to adoption. This is particularly important considering the insufficient public consultations that occurred prior to the draft law. The government is obliged to consult CSOs in a minimum of two weeks as per the Regulation on Minimum Standards for Public Consultation Process.
• Ensure and monitor investment in the care economy, which can create thousands of new jobs in Kosovo. Creating new childcare options creates more employment opportunities, allowing more women to join the labor force due to increased availability. Increased chilcare availability also improves children’s educational outcomes as well as contribute to state revenues.
• Allocate resources for implementing the Istanbul Convention, including for hiring more social workers in order to better handle heavy caseloads (including of persons suffering violence); for vehicles and other resources to carry out their work; and for establishing emergency services for cases of sexual violence.
• Ensure government expenditures related to addressing COVID-19 are based on sufficient gender impact analysis, towards addressing the needs of diverse women and men. Invest more in related social infrastructure, amid other recommendations in KWN’s “The Pandemic knows no Gender”?.

Kurse, listën e plotë të rekomandimeve mund ta gjeni së shpejti në faqen e RrGK-së www.womensnetwork.org

KWN and UN Women remain ready to support gender-responsive budgeting.