Gender Responsive Budget (GRB) Initiatives in Georgia

In 2006 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched the Component of Gender Responsive Budget Initiative (GRBI) within the frame of SIDA supported Project “Gender and Politics in the South Caucasus”. The GRB initiative is supported by two national consultants – macroeconomic policy and gender experts.

Components of GRB initiative:

Component 1: Support institutionalisation of gender in the State Budgeting Processes

Activities carried out:

• The main methodological principles for elaborating gender oriented budgetary policy were defined;
• Monitoring of implementation of gender aspects in the State Budget 2007-2008-2009 was implemented; special focus was made on educational and social programmes;
• Gender criteria’s and indicators were used in the process of monitoring of state expenses (state budget and state programmes);

Final report and recommendations were submitted to the various committees of the Parliament and relevant Ministries: 1. The Ministry of Finance; 2. The Finance and Budget Committee of the Parliament; 3. The Health Care and Social Issues Committee of the Parliament; 4. The Education and Science Committee of the Parliament; 5. Parliamentarians. 6. The Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Care; 7. The Ministry of Education and Science; 8. Parliament’s advisory council and State Commission for Gender Equity; 9. Civil Society;

• Series of training for representatives of different ministries and Parliament Budgetary Office were provided;
• Cooperation of non-governmental and state structures was stimulated on the national and local levels.

Results achieved:

• Representatives of government and Parliament of Georgia were informed about gender responsive budgeting initiatives to improve the understanding of gender oriented budgeting process;

• Based on analysis of number of State Programmes and state budgets, recommendations were developed on public funds expenditure’s effect on fair and equitable distribution of resources in order to achieve gender equality and social justice (reports);
• Recommendations were communicated and respectively awareness raised of decision makers at macroeconomic policy level;
• Awareness about the concept of gender equality was increased among civic servants and civil servants were equipped with methodological principles and recommendations.

Component 2: Institutional Support to State Gender Statistics

Activities carried out:

• Methodological approach to gender statistics of Georgia was introduced to stakeholders;
• New gender indicators were developed;
• Trainings and round tables for representative of Statistic Departments and appropriate ministries were provided;
• Materials for Statistical publication ‘’Women and Men” were prepared and analyzed during three years;
• Draft Law on Statistics with the new clause that obligates the Statistics Department to disaggregate data by sex was lobbied vis-à-vis the Parliament of Georgia.     

Results achieved:

• New indicators for gender-disaggregated data were developed and shared with the Statistics Department of Ministry of Economic Development;
• Statistics Department of Ministry of Economic Development was sensitized about the importance of sex disaggregated data;
• Law on Statistics submitted to the Parliament with the new clause that obligates the Statistics Department to disaggregate data by sex;
• Statistical publication ‘’Women and Men” (2005, 2006, 2008) were published and distributed among stakeholders (Download “Women and Men” 2008 Brochure).  

Component 3: Support Introduction of Local Gender Budgeting

Activities carried out:

1. The gender analysis of municipal budgets of the seaport Poti and cities of Rustavi and Kutaisi  were performed to find different impacts of district budgets on women and men, the role of  Local Councils in  defining the budget and priority directions, determining  social feedback, training of local staff, creation of promotional conditions on the spot;
2. In the seaport Poti and cities of Rustavi and Kutaisi needs assessment of local population was performed to identify different needs  and requirements of men and women at local levels in order to underline the effectiveness of public funds expenditure from gender point of view;
3. Discussions and roundtables were held with local authorities in order to increase awareness of their staff on gender approaches in the municipality financial - budget plans;

• Cycles of Trainings for Local Women Councilors’ Forum on gender analysis and monitoring of local budget and were performed;
• Trainings and round-tables were organized with local self-government representatives of west Georgia introducing results of local budget monitoring and methodologies.  

Results achieved:

• High level authorities of local Councils  were sensitized about gender responsive budgeting  and equipped with the methodologies of gender budget analysis; 
• Special needs assessments of local population were performed and results analysed and communicated with the authority and wider public of Imereti Region and city of Rustavil;
• Gender revisions of local budgets were provided in two main cities of west Georgia - in Poti and Kutaisi, also in Rustavi - industrial city of Georgia (reports);
• Monitoring of municipal programmes’ spending was performed with particular focus on adequate allocation and use of public funds for women and men respectively, the final reports of which have been communicated to the local stakeholders.

Component 4: Increased Participation of Civil Society in GRB Initiatives

Activates carried out:          

• Number of training sessions, debates, round-table were organised for raising awareness on the concept of social security and Gender Budgeting for various NGOs working on gender issues, financial issues, macroeconomics;
• Gender Budgeting Group was established consisting of NGOs and academia, representatives from Ministry of Economics and Parliament Budgetary Department to perform gender analysis of budgets and state and local programmes, issues recommendations and communicate them with  respective bodies;
• Gender Budgeting women’s NGO Network was set up after the international Conference in order to further involve women NGOs in gender responsive budgeting issues –a special training was provided to the network members and post-conference roundtable meeting was organised to set future plans for the network;
• Gender Budgeting Women’s NGO Network was got additional GRB trainings and was equipped with necessary skills and knowledge to monitor state budget and programmes and local budgets of various regions and districts.

Results achieved:

• Gender Budgeting Group was established and capacity built to perform regular gender analysis of budgets and state and local programmes (Members of Gender Budget Group);
• Gender Budgeting Women’s NGO Network was set up and equipped with essential knowledge on GRB to involve in the monitoring of different government programmes and budgets at both central and  local levels  (List of NGOs)
• Civic society awareness of the process of gender budgeting and monitoring was increased.

Component 5: Advocacy and Public Awareness

Activates carried out:

• Researches, analytical papers, brochures and leaflets, books and other publications were prepared on Gender Responsive budgeting;
• GRB educational materials as well as materials on monitoring and methodologies were prepared and disseminated;
• Radio programmes and newspaper articles were prepared and published and broadcasted through Georgian media sources;  

·         Cycles of trainings and round-tables were provided to number of target groups including Parliament of Georgia, number of Ministries, local government and self-government representatives,  local media and youth introducing  results of local budget monitoring and methodologies as well as results of state budget and state programme monitoring

• International experiences on gender budgeting was shared with target audience and wider public
• Media coverage provided by TV Companies:  Information programs, 1 Channel, Kavkasia, Imedi; Radio Program:  Gender Sensitive Budgeting or Social Oriented Budget   Imedi; Newspapers:  Weekly English “Georgia Today”, Georgian ``Resonance``,`` Bank and Finance``, Akhali Taoba,  Rustavi  Information; Other: Gender Information Network of South Caucasus, Caucasus Environmental NGO Network, website of the Parliament of    Georgia, website of UNDP Georgia
• GRB section under the project’s website was created:  http://www.parliament.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=1099       

Results achieved:

• Gender Responsive budgeting concept was advocated at central and local levels
• Understanding on GRB among stakeholders was increased and experience of different countries was shared among wider public 
• Fundamental concepts and tools of analysis in the gender budget sphere were introduced to number of target groups including civil society representatives

Download detailed Gender Budget Initiative in Georgia brochure

Recent Highlights

July 17, 2009 Hotel “Sheraton Metekhi Palace” in Tbilisi hosted conference “Global Economic Crisis and its impact on Gender Equality in Georgia”. Global Financial crisis had a significant impact on the economic development processes, poverty reduction and implementation of Millennium Goals.  Widespread economic recession caused the decline of number of economic sectors and increased level of unemployment in the world. These processes are developing sharper at the backdrop of the political and economic cataclysms in Georgia. It becomes vital to find ways of addressing these problems and ensure democratic governance and well-being of population in a coherent and systematic manner.

The Conference was attempting to review these issues and discuss the ways of integration of gender aspects into macro-economic policies of Georgia and proposed following topics for discussion:

·         Gender –specific impacts of the financial and economic crisis;

·          Controversial   aspects of macro-economic policies;

·          Ways and perspectives of achieving stability, social justice, and gender equality in the society of Georgia.

Conference was attended by international and local organisations, representatives of the government structures, policy-makers, local authorities, women’s NGOs, experts and University Academia. During the conference, new publication – “Gender Dimension of Financial Policy in Georgia” prepared in the frame of Gender and Politics Project was presented.

Agenda of the conference

List of Participants

Presentation # 1

Presentation # 2

Presentation # 3

Presentation # 4

Presentation # 5

Presentation # 6

Report of the Conference

Book "Gender Dimensions of the Financial Policy of Georgia"