All set for gender-responsive budgeting summit

Gender Links (GL) will host a gender-responsive budgeting summit against the backdrop of this year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign.

The two-day summit will take place at Cresta Lodge Msasa under the theme “Gender Responsive Budgeting in Local Authorities”.

Drawing participants from various local authorities and stakeholders from across the country, the summit seeks to assess the extent to which councils have budgeted for gender in their service delivery.

The summit also provides a platform to assess the progress local authorities have made in gender mainstreaming and gather evidence on gender-responsive budgeting, leadership, and institutional practice in local authorities.

It will also promote discussion and reflection on the gender mainstreaming programme in Zimbabwe.

“Gender budgeting is a priority area for the government of Zimbabwe,” Gender Links said in a statement.

“In August 2021, the Finance and Economic Development ministry through the Budget Call Circular Number 1 of 2021 made it mandatory for all public institutions to mainstream gender and allocate resources for gender in their budgets.

“Following this, Gender Links in partnership with the Local Government and Public Works ministry developed a gender responsive budgeting tool to assist local authorities in gender budgeting.”

Gender Links will launch the gender responsive tool tomorrow while the summit will affirm best practices in gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting in 92 local authorities in Zimbabwe that are Centres of Excellence Councils.

“The ability of local authorities to budget for gender is key to gender-responsive service delivery,” reads the statement.

“These gender-responsive budgets contribute to national objectives guided by the National Development Strategy 1, whose overall objective is to ensure high, accelerated, inclusive and sustainable economic growth as well as socioeconomic transformation and development.

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