On March 25, the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) organized a workshop with representatives of departments and divisions of the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, as a first step toward institutionalizing Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) on the central level. This initiative is being supported by USAID Partnership for Development (USAID PFD). 
    During this workshop, representatives of departments and divisions of this ministry were introduced to a practical methodology for the implementation of GRB in their work, which now with the new Gender Equality Law 05-L/0-20 is a legal requirement. 
    “Policies should address equality. We should focus on evidence while making these policies. The first step should be developing systems that focus on gender equality while drafting these policies” – said the General Secretary, Mr. Arben Çitaku during his opening remarks.     Donjeta Morina, Capacity Development Coordinator at KWN, explained that the process of drafting budgets and the distribution of public expenses should not focus on people in terms of citizens, but rather on their specific needs. She emphasized that these needs and priorities that vary among women, girls, men and boys should be the focus point in these processes when implementing a gender perspective. 
During the workshop, representatives were invited to discuss and give concrete ideas concerning the integration of GRB in their work, in their respective departments and divisions. 
   The director of Division of Spatial Planning, Ms. Suzana Goranci, gave some really specific ideas in the field of health and sport. While, the director of Division of Nature Protection, division within the Environmental Protection Department, said that this Department respects gender equality concerning the percentage of the officials employed within their ministry. Mr. Ismail Hetemej further said: “The essence of our achievements as a society, is when we reach gender equality from planning and monitoring, to following law guidance. Especially, in the society that we live in, in every plan that we make, we should focus on the employment of women.” 
    At the conclusion, further steps that will be taken towards the implementation of GRB were introduced and KWN expressed their willingness to further assist the ministry by the way of organizing meetings and one on one mentoring sessions with officials of every department and division within this ministry.