Projects

Short Description:

Overall goal

The objective of the project is to improve public commitments for gender responsive climate action and increase available financing to implement gender-responsive climate action in the Western Balkans region and Moldova.

Expected results

- Strengthened visibility and international recognition of the work of the Gender Budget Watchdog Network (GBWN).

- Increased CSO (Civil Society Organization) capacities to use Gender responsive budgeting (GRB) tools watchdogging climate change policy and financing.

- Improved CSO participation in policy and budgeting processes by using gender budget watchdog tools for increased government accountability, particularly in resilience response, climate change financing and gender responsiveness of the climate change policy framework.

Target group / Beneficiaries

The direct target group of the action are civil society organizations, members of the Gender budget watchdog network. Specifically, the action is focusing on: (i) women's rights organizations to increase their capacity, knowledge and skills regarding climate change policies, the climate finance landscape and improve their understanding of processes, entry points, gaps and potentials for engendering; and (ii) environmental organizations that need to increase their knowledge and skills on gender mainstreaming of climate change policies and climate financing. Over 300 CSOs will be benefiting the capacity building program of the GBWN GRB E-academy, and 900 CSO representatives increase awareness of gender transformative budgeting through participation in webinars and listening to podcasts. Forty-two (42) CSOs will be mentored to produce 32 gender budget watchdog reports of resilience response and climate financing, 7 national studies and 1 regional report will hold governments accountable on how women’s needs are addressed with climate change policies and budgets. The 7 GRB hubs will enhance CSO participation in policy and budgeting processes through producing 14 SDG 5c1 reports, 7 Citizens budgets, 7 national monitoring reports on GEWE program funding and 21 budget commentaries. The project will be implemented in seven countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro and Serbia, all of which have committed to gender equality objectives in CEDAW (Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women), to adopting gender responsive national legal frameworks, and to gender responsive budgeting. Indirectly all citizens of these countries will be beneficiaries of the action.

Activities

Key activities will include further developing e-training and developing self-learning tools; as well as implementing grants coupled with capacity building and mentoring for “learning by using GRB tools”; expanding GBWN’s reach, influence and international visibility on international fora; strengthening network members’ capacities to produce gender budget watchdog reports on resilience response and climate financing; monitoring government progress in implementing GRB commitments based on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicator 5c1, 13a and 13b indicators and the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) Gender Framework; evidence-based strategic advocacy; and awareness-raising.

Context

This project follows the Gender Budget Watchdog Network (GBWN) in the Western Balkans and Moldova’s previous, successful ADA and SIDA-supported project. GBWN members have developed this project based on results and lessons learned from the first phase; local circumstances including on-going critical policy processes related to EU Accession; and identified needs.