Rwanda to host global meet on gender responsive budgeting

Rwanda is set to host a two-day high level global meeting that will bring together experts from various parts of the world to discuss Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB). The meeting is jointly organised by the Government, through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the European Union. The high level meeting will draw over 100 representatives to discuss gender responsive budgeting under the theme “Increasing Accountability and Development Effectiveness through Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting” to run from 26-28 July. “The overall objective of the meeting is to present a strong evidence-base of good practice on GRB in order to demonstrate how it can be used as a government standard for transparency and accountability….” a government statement reads. “…..and how it links policy commitments to financing on gender equality and women’s rights. The meeting will agree on efforts for renewed and accelerated action on GRB.” According to Elias Baingana, the Director General of the National Budget at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, the meeting will bring together representatives from ministries of finance and sector ministries. It will also bring together different development partners, civil society organisations, and academia from thirty countries around the world to join efforts for accelerated action on gender responsive budgeting (GRB). The meeting in Kigali takes place ten years after the ‘2001 High Level International Conference on “Strengthening Economic and Financial Governance through Gender Responsive Budgeting”. The conference then provided an opportunity to mobilise collective actions on strengthening gender equality outcomes in development cooperation and national planning and budgeting. A key output of the global high level meeting will be “A Global Call for Action on Financing Gender Equality” that sets out concrete policy recommendations that guide future efforts and policy debates in the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF-4) in Busan, Korea in November 2011. Keynote speakers will include the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, John Rwangombwa; Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Aloise Inyumba and the Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Agnes Kalibata. Also expected is the UN Women Senior Policy and Programme advisor, Joanne Sandler, the Vice Minister of Finance of Ecuador, Elmeida Maria Dolores and other senior Officials from UN Agencies, EC and participating countries. Ends