OSCE trains Montenegrin municipalities on gender responsive budgeting
PODGORICA, 24 June 2015 – The OSCE Mission to Montenegro today concluded a three-day training course on gender responsive budgeting for members of the Municipal Gender Focal Point Network.
The course, designed for new members of the Network from six Montenegrin municipalities, focused on the first day on the basics of gender responsive budgeting as a method for including the interests of women in the budget process.
The second and third day of the training focused on more advanced topics such as the practical use of gender responsive budgeting at the local level. It was emphasized that gender responsive budgeting is as much about improving quality and resource utilization for both women and men, as it is about strengthening equality.
Opening the training course, Lia Magnaguagno, Head of the Democratization Programme at the OSCE Mission, said that gender mainstreaming is an obligation for every society that endeavours to become democratic.
“Gender responsive budgeting takes into consideration the needs of both genders, facilitating equal opportunities. That is why the Mission recognizes its importance, and is supporting its implementation at the local level,” she said.
Biljana Pejovic, Head of the Gender Department at the Ministry for Human Rights, reminded participants that according to relevant international documents, it is key for local authorities to commit to implementing gender equality policies.
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 sixteen municipalities in Montenegro. The use of local resources in implementing gender standards and principles as well as gender budgeting have been identified as the priority areas for building the capacity of participants of this informal network.
Apart from the support to the Network, the project foresees activities in ten Montenegrin municipalities, supporting the economic empowerment of women and the fight against gender-based violence.