Gender Responsive Budgeting

The 2009 ERD outline report indicates that fragile states are major recipients of aid, and, as such, must have the capacity to absorb aid. However, in order to make aid effective in addressing poverty and inequality, it is essential for donors and national governments to have a greater understanding of the specific challenges that women face. Gender responsive budgeting (GRB) is particularly important in the context of re-building and strengthening state institutions as it provides an important entry point for gender mainstreaming in the budget.

This paper argues that gender responsive budgeting has enormous potential for advancing gender equitable resource allocation in fragile states. By drawing on the experience of a few African countries, this paper argues that, with political will, technical skill and capacity, gender responsive budgeting can contribute to making aid more effective in fragile states.

Paper prepared for the Conference on “Financial markets, adverse shocks and policy responses in fragile countries”, organised by the European Report of Development in Accra, Ghana, 21-23 May, 2009.

European Report on Development 2009

Supported by the European Commission and seven Member States (Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom), the European Report on Development (ERD) is the main output of the "Mobilising European Research for Development Policies" initiative. This flagship report is published since 2009, with the aim of stimulating debate and research on topics of major relevance for development, as well as to enhance the European perspective in the international development arena.