Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) is a more efficient and more transparent way of planning and allocating government budgets. As of 2015, GRB is a legal obligation for all budget organizations in the Republic of Kosovo. While being a legal obligation, it remains a rather new and unfamiliar way of fiscal planning. Noticing the gap between legal obligation and lack of institutional know-how, the EU Information and Cultural Center in Kosovo and KWN identified the need to train future economists on this issue.

   Around 30 students attended the one day workshop held on Oct. 6 at the EU Information and Cultural Centre. The discussions were lively and interesting. The workshop covered a wide range of introductory information including: what GRB is, the most persistent gender inequalities in Kosovo, the need for more responsible budgeting and some of the most frequent misunderstandings related to GRB. Further, Donjeta Morina from KWN presented the practical methodology of KWN integration, citing examples from ministries and municipalities in Kosovo.

   One economics student, expressing her interest in the topic, emphasized the importance of future generations knowing how to use GRB. “GRB is a very important tool for increasing gender equality, and from what I have heard today, I would love for it to be included in University curricula,” the student added.

The workshop was supported by the EU Information and Cultural Center. KWN’s other work related to GRB receives support from Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).