Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) represents the inclusion of a gender perspective in budget planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. GRB helps government budgets and their execution to be more equitable, effective and transparent. The new Law on Gender Equality (2015) has made BPG a legal obligation for all central and local budget organizations in Kosovo. Further, Budget Circular no. 2017/01, distributed by the Ministry of Finance in June 2017, specifically encouraged all municipalities to integrate GRB into their budget documents.
           However, GRB is a fairly new concept, both in Kosovo and elsewhere. At the beginning of 2016, there were few budget organizations in Kosovo that began implementing this legal obligation, including the municipalities of Vitia and Gjilan. For this reason, KWN member organizations, the Centre for Protection and Rehabilitation of Women and Children “Liria” in Gjilan and “Legjenda” of Viti, decided to establish a joint team in order to advance the process of institutionalization of GRB in their municipalities.
       Supported by the Kosovo Women’s Fund (FGK), “Liria” and “Legjenda” organized informative meetings with the Formal Group of Women Assembly Members of Ferizaj and Kllokot Municipality, the Lobby for Gender Equality as well as Directors of Municipal Directorates of both Municipalities. 75 women and men of both municipalities were the beneficiaries of these informative meetings.
        Topics in these informative meetings were mainly related to integration steps such as decision-making, gender agenda and reports, research and analysis to be undertaken at the municipal level, as well as gender expertise.
         Women’s rights activist and activist Nazlie Bala emphasized to the participants that “gender equality means that men and women have equal access to the policies the state offers, have equal access to the well-being and overall development of society and equal access to the material goods that the state provides”.
        The result of this cooperation was raising the awareness of officials and activists in these two municipalities regarding GRB, what this concept means and how should it be applied in their municipalities. Women in decision-making became aware of gender budgeting and were encouraged to be part of budget policy drafting.
         This presents another important step towards advancing gender equality. These actions are foreseen in the Law on Gender Equality although up to date few institutions have used them. The cooperation of these two organizations and their advocacy towards the sustainable institutionalization of the GRB in the municipalities of Ferizaj and Kllokot is a very positive example from which other municipalities and central level institutions can learn.