A roundtable was organized by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Pakistan on 11th June 2024 on “Gender Responsive Budgeting for Women Empowerment in Pakistan” in collaboration with the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus at the National Assembly of Pakistan. The all-important event witnessed the presence of notable Member Parliamentarians, civil society representatives, academia, and officials from the public sector who gathered and actively engaged in the discussion.
The session primarily included the gender budgeting strategy of 2023 and the analysis report on gender responsiveness in the Federal Budget FY2023-24 developed by FES which categorizes priorities in allocations and spending into 6 themes, namely:
- Social Protection
- Women’s Economic Empowerment
- Social Services
- Climate Change
- Gender-Based Violence (GBV)
- Institutions Advancing Women’s Rights.
These themes are further ranked according to their relevance, i.e., high, medium, and low, where findings show that 3.38% of the total Federal Budget FY2023-24 is of high relevance, referring to it directly benefitting women, girls, and gender-diverse persons. Furthermore, 4.17% is of medium relevance and 1.47% is of low relevance that does not directly benefit but creates an enabling environment for gender equality and women empowerment.
Former secretary of WPC Dr. Shahida Rehmani, constitutional expert Mr. Zafarullah Khan, special secretary NA Mr. Shamoon Hashmi, executive director Omar Asghar, and Ms. Rashida Dohad were among the panelists.
Valuable insights and sound recommendations were shared by the participants, where the emphasis was mainly on applying the gender lens to education and health sectors to ensure gender-inclusive policies. Further suggestions related to increasing social protection programs, strengthening local bodies, and more scholarships for women. The event was very informative and productive, highlighting women’s marginalization in various sectors and strategies to effectively implement “Gender Responsive Budgeting” to promote women’s empowerment and inclusive community development.
The interactive session concluded with closing remarks by Country Director FES Pakistan Mr. Felix Kolbitz, words of gratitude, and the distribution of bouquets to the honorable panelists.
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My name is Shehrbano Haider, I am a student and development enthusiast from Islamabad, Pakistan.