As part of the “Gender Budgeting as a Transformative Budget Tool for Municipal Institutions” project — and building on previous efforts to promote gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) — the Mitrovica Women’s Association for Human Rights (MWAHR), a member of the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), has continued its advocacy to ensure that GRB and the meaningful inclusion of women are reflected in the Medium-Term Budget planning process of the Municipality of South Mitrovica.

Between September 2023 and August 2024, MWAHR organized a series of consultative meetings with the Director of Budget and Finance, Director of Agriculture and Rural Development, Director of Public Administration, Director of Social Welfare, and Director of Youth, Sports, and Culture in South Mitrovica. Together with local citizens, they discussed the importance of integrating gender perspectives in municipal budgeting and ensuring that services and programs are accessible and equitable for both women and men. Specific recommendations were presented to each directorate.

These discussions led to concrete commitments from municipal officials, including increasing the number of women and girls benefiting from scholarships, grants, healthcare support, and participation in cultural and sports activities. Notably, for the first time, the Medium-Term Budget Framework now includes gender equality objectives, marking a significant step forward in institutionalizing GRB in South Mitrovica.

A short video capturing key moments from the consultative meetings and voices from citizens and officials is available here.

This project was supported by the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) within the framework of the Gender Budget Watchdog Network (GBWN) in the Western Balkans and the Republic of Moldova, funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), which began in 2023 and was finalized in 2024.