Moldovan pilot ministries strengthen their gender responsive budgeting capacities

Date: Friday, 26 July 2024

Gender-responsive budgeting is an approach that ensures government resources are distributed equitably and transparently. It requires policymakers to consider gender disparities when planning budgets, ensuring that public funds contribute to reducing inequalities by responding to the different needs of women and men

The training workshops were divided into two phases. Informative in nature, the first segment explained the importance of GRB in shaping public policies and budgets to representatives from four ministries: Agriculture and Food Industry, Labour and Social Protection, Infrastructure and Regional Development, and Finance, along with the Court of Accounts and the State Chancellery. Experts shared best practices and lessons learned from countries with similar socio-economic contexts that have successfully implemented GRB reforms at various levels of government.

The second phase was more hands-on, focused exclusively on the two pilot ministries: the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry and the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. These workshops delved into the practical application of GRB, including tools for data disaggregation and aligning sector policies with gender equality objectives. Legal obligations for implementing GRB in Moldova were also discussed, alongside strategies for enhancing the efficiency of gender-sensitive budgeting.

In line with the gender provisions stipulated in the Annual Budget Circular for 2025, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry were tasked with integrating gender perspectives into at least one sub-programme by setting gender-responsive objectives and indicators to address gender gaps in their respective sectors. This step is part of more extensive efforts to gradually mainstream gender across the country’s budget system, making GRB a central element in planning, not just a separate activity.

Future mentoring sessions will be held to ensure continued capacity development of line ministries on GRB, along with support to the Ministry of Finance to mainstream gender perspective in the Medium-Term Budget Planning. UN Women, with the EU’s financial support, strives to make GRB a sustainable and integral part of Moldova's public finance management system.