21 January 2024, Birendranagar. The Training on Gender Equality, Disability, Social Inclusion, and Gender Responsive Budgeting, organized by the SUSWA project in collaboration with UN Women, brought together the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Provincial Ministry of Water Resources and Energy Development, and the decision-makers from 21 municipalities.

Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB)

Access to safe water and sanitation infrastructure is a critical issue that affects many communities worldwide. Unfortunately, in some areas of Karnali, the physical infrastructure for water and sanitation is insufficient, leading to unequal access to these essential resources. This inequality is often most pronounced for women, who may face cultural beliefs that limit their access to water and sanitation facilities. For example, in some regions of Karnali, women are required to stay in isolated huts, so-called ‘Chhuigoth’, during their menstrual periods, exposing them to unhygienic conditions and potentially dangerous situations. These huts may lack proper sanitation facilities and can be unsafe, with risks like snake bites, sexual harassment, or abuse. Moreover, women are often responsible for household chores, including managing water and sanitation, making them particularly vulnerable when natural disasters damage infrastructure. It’s crucial to address these and other related issues to ensure that all individuals have access to safe and hygienic water and sanitation facilities regardless of gender or cultural background.

The Government of Nepal has developed several laws and policies to address the needs of women and vulnerable groups and demonstrated commitment to advancing gender equality and disability and social inclusion. One of the strategic approaches adopted by the Government is Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB). 

GRB aims to ensure the integration of a gender lens into the design, budgeting and implementation of activities at national, provincial and municipal levels. It goes beyond simply creating separate budgets for women or increasing spending on women’s programmes. Instead, GRB seeks to ensure that public resources are collected and allocated in ways that effectively promote gender equality and women’s empowerment, through in-depth analysis and adjustments to budget policies. By addressing gender bias and discrimination, GRB not only advances women’s rights but also promotes transparency, accountability and sustainability.

SUSWA’s Effort for Gender Responsive Budgeting 

Since 2021, the Sustainable WASH for All (SUSWA) project has been working with municipalities and communities in Karnali province to understand better and address barriers to equal access to water and sanitation and discriminatory practices and norms related to menstruation management. 

One focus of the SUSWA project is to develop the capacities of project municipalities towards implementing evidence-based gender and disability-responsive laws, plans, and budgets. This includes building the capacities of local governments to implement GRB as per the Gender Responsive Budget Directive for Provinces and Local Levels, 2021, formulated by the Ministry of Finance. As provisioned in the Directive, local governments have to plan and budget, implement, and report gender-responsive activities. They have to categorise budget entries in the government’s accounting application for municipalities, SUTRA, according to their gender responsiveness, i.e., directly benefiting women, indirectly benefiting women, or neutral.   

In 2022, it was observed that the GRB coding had not been used effectively in municipalities yet. For example, it was found that the majority of the local governments in Karnali, where SUSWA worked, still needed to do the GRB coding. To address this, SUSWA partnered with UN Women to organize a GRB and GRB coding training for the Women, Children and Senior Citizen  Sections and Account Sections of municipalities on 23-25 August 2023. The training was successful, and during the training, 13 out of the 19 participating municipalities were able to do the GRB coding. Based on their experience, the participants also provided recommendations for improving GRB. Recommendations from the training were shared with the GRB Committee of the Ministry of Finance.

 Ministry Of Finance (mof.gov.np)

Training on GRB to the decision makers of Karnali

As of January 2024, 19 out of 21 SUSWA project municipalities had done GRB coding in SUTRA. To strengthen common understanding and commitment to the objectives of GRB, SUSWA organised a Gender, Disability & Social Inclusion and GRB training for municipal decision-makers, including Mayors/Chair Persons, and Chief Administrative Officers, on 21-22 January 2024 in collaboration with UN Women. The training was inaugurated and closed by Karnali provincial Water Resources and Energy Development Minister, Hon. Urmila B.K., and Mr Purna Neupane, the Member Secretary of the GRB Committee from the Ministry of Finance, who attended the training as a facilitator. He played a crucial role in the training by providing updates and guidance on the implementation of GRB.

The two-day training included sessions on intersectional vulnerabilities, gender mainstreaming, overall goals of the GRB and its coding system, monitoring and reporting, disability inclusion, WASH and GEDSI accessibility audits, dignified menstruation management, and local policies on WASH governance. 

Mr. Purna Neupane, the Member Secretary of the GRB Committee at the Ministry of Finance explained to the participants the Government’s GRB policy and its connection with the Sustainable Development Goals. He also said that the feedback and recommendations provided by the participants of the previous GRB training organised by SUSWA and UN Women will be taken into consideration in the development of the government’s accounting software. His dedication underscores the importance of leadership in catalyzing positive change.

Mr Purna Neupane, member secretary of the GRB Committee at the Ministry of Finance

“Having taken GRB training before, I was aware but not entirely clear. This training has provided the clarity I needed. Initially, I thought GRB was exclusively for women, but now I understand its inclusive nature, working towards equal rights for all genders. I appreciate SUSWA for organising this insightful training, helping me overcome misconceptions and gain a deeper understanding.”

Sharda Oli, Assistant Women Inspector

The commitment from the municipalities is an important step towards creating more inclusive, equitable, and resilient communities in Karnali. The SUSWA team hopes that the training, along with other related and ongoing activities of the project and stakeholders, inspires the municipal decision-makers leaders in Karnali and other provinces, too.