OSCE Mission to Montenegro trains municipal workers on gender budgeting
The strategies and benefits of effective gender budgeting were highlighted at a training course in Podgorica on 31 March and 1 April 2014 for gender focal points from municipal authorities across Montenegro.
Opening the training course, Minister for Human and Minority Rights, Suad Numanović reminded participants that gender budgeting is not just budgeting for women but budgeting for both genders. "This training course is an opportunity to receive recommendations for the equal distribution of funds at the local level,” he said.
Waldemar Figaj, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, emphasized that gender budgeting is a powerful tool for translating gender rules and procedures into budget commitments. "Gender budgeting is a very complex process, and one of the best initiatives which authorities could implement in order to demonstrate their commitment towards the ideals of gender equality and fulfil specific goals and priorities," he said.
This training course is part of a project implemented by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro in partnership with the Gender Department of the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights.
The Municipal Gender Focal Point Network is comprised of participants working in ten municipalities in Montenegro. Gender budgeting, communication and public speaking have been identified as the priority areas for building the capacity of participants of this informal focal point network.