DGB organizes a consultation on the development of tools for the operationalization of gender-based budgeting

From 16 to 18 June 2021, a workshop was held at the United Hotel in Mbankomo to develop tools for the operationalization of gender responsive budgeting (GRB).

The workshop was chaired by Mrs. MEKIA Félicité Linda, Head of the Budgetary Accounts Consolidation Unit, representing the Head of the Budget. Reform Division, Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family (MINPROFF), Ministry of Decentralization and Local Development (MINDDEVEL), Ministry of Health (MINSANTE), Ministry of Social Affairs (MINAS), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER), Ministry of Basic Education (MINEDUB), officials of the National Institute of Statistics (INS) as well as those of the Technical and Financial Partners (TFP), notably UN Women and GIZ.

In her introductory address, the Chairperson indicated that the Government is working to put in place institutional and standard reforms in order to guarantee the participation of all social categories in the work of national construction, in the life of the city and in the sharing of benefits resulting from the national effort. However, the work of building an egalitarian society between women and men still has many gaps. In order to address this, Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) can be a particularly effective tool to operationalize the institutional framework that has been put in place. In order to strengthen the functioning of the said framework, GRB has been initiated through presidential instructions urging pilot ministries to take gender into account in the preparation of the budget. In this sense, she added, GRB represents a guarantee for an equitable, relevant and efficient planning of resources by ensuring the sufficient allocation of these to policies and strategies aimed at reducing gender inequalities.

The work in Mbankomo, which was very interactive, therefore made it possible to:

• Take stock of GRB work carried out by TFP, sector public bodies and MINEPAT;
• Propose elements to feed the presidential circular on GRB;
• Propose the Ministry of Finance’s circular on GRB for the preparation of the 2022 budget and;
• Propose a detailed plan for the gender-sensitive budget document.

It is important to recall that a mission by the International Monetary Fund’s Regional Technical Assistance Centre for Central Africa (AFRITAC Centre) on support for gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) took place in order to ensure the implementation of the institutional framework put in place on gender.

It noted that the standard base of GRB has not evolved over the last decades and its anchoring requires a more important scope and a solid legal basis following the example of international best practices. For GRB to be operational, the mission recommended the need to develop tools that are integrated throughout the budget cycle.