Gender Responsive Budgets (GRB) Balochistan Budgets FY2022-23 & FY2023-24

The Balochistan Assembly, especially its Women Parliamentary Caucus, in collaboration with Omar Asghar Khan Foundation (the Foundation) and Shirkat Gah (SG), convened a two-day meeting of MPs and the Chair of BCSW to discuss gender-responsive budgeting that also contributes to improving compliance with CEDAW & SDG5.

SG assisted the MPs to review compliance priorities of CEDAW & SDG5, emphasising some of the key legislation and institutional mechanisms that need to be in place. The Foundation shared its gendered analysis of Balochistan’s Budget FY2022-23, and used its findings to assist MPs and other key stakeholders in shaping GRB proposals for FY2023-24. These included funds for better forensics capacity, trained first responders, toll-free GBV helplines and midway homes for social reintegration of GBV survivors. Applying a gender lens to development projects was suggested. A more creative PFC Award was discussed, developed by Dr. Kaiser Bengali, to improve public service delivery. And the need for innovative methodologies like gender tagging was considered to generate data that can support GRB. “We need gender-responsive budgeting and gender-responsive governments,” said Dr. Rubaba Khan Buledi, Chairperson-WPC & Parliamentary Secretary-Law & Parliamentary Affairs in her concluding comments.