Gender Responsive Budget Initiative in Nepal

1
Gender Responsive Budget Initiative in Nepal

• Ran Bahadur Shrestha
• Joint Secretary
• Ministry of Finance
• Government of Nepal

2
General Country Context

• Mountain country- multiculture, multi-ethnic,
  education-literacy, sanitation, New Constitution
  Drafting with fed. Concept. Lots of political and
  policy dynamism. New Nepal.
• Accepted political economic policy process
• Ministry of Finance participated in UNIFEM
  regional and country consultations on GRB since
  early 2000s.
• Nepal became signatory of Paris Declaration in
  March 2005.
• In May 2005 the Ministry of Finance sought
  technical support from UNIFEM/PON for the
  initiation of GRB.
• Supported by UNIFEM/PON, a GRB expert was housed
  in the Ministry of Finance in May-July 2005 to
  provide technical assistance to initiate GRB.

3
The Objectives of GRB in Nepal

• The objectives of GRB in Nepal are as follows
• Use as a means to achieve the State commitments
  for gender equality in CEDAW, BPFA and MDGs
• To raise awareness about gender equality in the
  programmes and budgetary process
• To ensure inclusion of the excluded groups (esp.
  women) for equity in benefit sharing in actual
  result and
• For transparency and efficiency ensuring good
  governance.

4
Actors Involved in the GRB Work

• GRB Committee is established in the Budget
  Division /Ministry of Finance , in August 2005
  for policy matter including following agencies
• National Planning Commission for overall national
  policy,
• Ministry of Local Development for policy on
  decentralization and local self governance,
• Ministry of Women, Children Social Welfare for
  policy on gender equality and empowerment of
  women, and
• UNIFEM/PON for overall technical support.

Currently all government agencies are involved in
GRB through their respective programme and budget
formulation and reporting
5
Methodology Adopted for Systemization of GRB

• The computer softwares were devised to
  incorporate GRB in the Budget Management
  Information System (BMIS) and Line Ministry
  Budget System (LMBS) in 2007
• All governmental agencies were mandated to report
  GRB for each budget line activity in their
  computerized budget allocation format since
  fiscal year 2007/08

6
Change Brought by GRB in Government Policy
Framework

• In the Budget Statement of fiscal year 2005/06 a
  statement was made on the government adopting the
  policy of zero tolerance to violence against
  women.
• Based on it Zero Tolerance to VAW Policy is
  being formulated .
• In the Budget Statement of fiscal year 2007/08 a
  statement was made on the government lifting the
  ban on womens migration for work in Gulf
  Countries in informal sector.
• Based on it Foreign Employment Act, 2008 has
  incorporated gender equality provision.
• Budget guideline incorporated GRB and all
  government agencies were mandated to adopt GRB in
  their budget allocation process.
• GRB was made a measuring yardstick in evaluating
  the Aid Effectiveness

7
Successes and Challenges of GRB in Nepal

• Successes
• GRB ownership at the highest level of the
  government, i. e., Ministry of Finance
• Institutionalization of GRB by establishing GRB
  Committee for sustainability and macroeconomic
  and microeconomic policy frameworks.
• Challenges
• Energy crisis less money for gender responsive
• GRB is yet to be systematized for Expenditure
  Tracking System as tracking budget output and
  budget outcome
• The challenges on GRB application lie on
  conceptual clarity and capacity building at the
  national, district and village levels

8
Working now

• Priority given for women leasing public land
• 30 percent reservation for Youth Self Employment
  up to Rs 200,000. (US 3000.)
• Introducing subactivity code in accounting system
  
• Exploiting political opportunity to macro
  economic policy framework

9
Future Interventions

• Need to do
• Priorotise Investment policies
• Change allocative to outcome oriented
• Emphasis to bottom up in budgeting and plannig
  process

10
Thank You
11
(No Transcript)
12
(No Transcript)