Gender Responsive State Budgeting Analysis Workshop – EU-UN Spotlight Initiative

Dili, 23/06/2022 – The United Nations Development Programme, under the Spotlight Initiative, hosted the second Gender Responsive State Budgeting Analysis Workshop with the participation of 9 women and 6 men from different Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). The event was held at KJFL Conference Room, Dili.

The Spotlight Initiative, a partnership programme funded by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN), aims to support transformative change on the ground to end violence against women and girls and harmful practices in Timor-Leste. It is being implemented through five UN agencies (UN Women, UNFPA, UNDP, UNICEF, and ILO), in support of the Government, and in close collaboration with the civil society, the World Health Organization, International Organization for Migration, and the UN Human Rights Advisor’s Unit.

UNDP developed a set of activities to be implemented for the carry over phase, including the development of a methodology to oversee and monitor the implementation of the 2022 State Budget from a gender perspective. Through an innovative method, the state budget execution and expenditures were translated into simplified information, using infographics that allow the monitoring of budget programs contributing to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, as well as assessing the coherence between the state budget, public policies, programs and projects, as well as their impact on beneficiaries. The Spotlight Initiative recognizes the key role that CSOs play in overseeing government activities and hence working together with CSOs is part of the UNDP strategy to ensure a comprehensive budget analysis.

Mr. Mario Machado, Program Manager for the EU, opened the event: “Together, with more resources, more partners and more political will, we can end violence against women and girls for good. Timorese women have already waited too long for this. Only with our commitment and hard work, women in Timor-Leste can look forward to a safer and just future. The EU is therefore committed to support partner countries, like Timor-Leste, to fulfil women’s rights. And that’s why it is proud to finance the Spotlight Initiative”.

Mr. Bruno de Lencastre, Project CTA, highlighted “This initiative recognizes the role that CSOs play in overseeing government activities and provides tools to empower CSOs for strengthening the check and balances systems and enhancing the democratic system.”

This second workshop on Gender Responsive State Budgeting Analysis organized by UNDP aimed at presenting the results of the six months of State Budget Analysis and the outcome of the 24 subprograms that were analyzed, as well as sharing the methodology that was utilized. The participants explored the methodology and provided their inputs for its improvement. One of the participants of the workshop, Celestina de Alemeida highlighted that “this workshop is very important for how we control the State Budget, especially so that civil society could understand the Government's work that allocates budgets to implemented activities”.