According to UN Report, India Faces Challenges in Effectively Implementing Gender Response Budgeting.
International
According to the United Nations (UN) report titled "Charting New Paths for Gender Equality and Empowerment: Asia-Pacific Region Report on Beijing +30 Review", India struggles with the limited effectiveness of its Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) due to the lack of sex-disaggregated data and the exclusion of key programmes that benefit women.
- The report was published jointly by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and UN Women at the 'Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+30 Review' held in Bangkok, Thailand.
- The report has suggested that the Government of India (GoI) should enhance the Gender Budget Statement and establish robust monitoring mechanisms through the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) and Ministry of Finance (MoF) to strengthen the quality of GRB.
- It has recommended integrating GRB considerations during the budget prioritization phase and promoting local governments to adopt GRB practices. These practices would help to achieve the ultimate goal of ensuring the participation of the most vulnerable groups of women in planning and budgeting processes.
Main Points:- (i) During the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference, the GoI informed that there has been a 218% decadal increase in gender budgeting in the country.
(ii) Preetam B. Yashwant, Joint Secretary, MoWCD, who represented India at the conference, highlighted that the GoI has allocated USD 37 million for gender budgeting for Financial Year 2024-25 (FY25).
(iii) India, at a separate side event at the conference, demonstrated that India's implementation of Beijing SDG is guided by the women-led development model by highlighting the leadership of women in Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) due to 33% reservation, as well as the collective efforts of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), which have significantly contributed to their financial empowerment.
About United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)
Executive Secretary : Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana
Headquarters : Bangkok, Thailand
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