The primary objectives of the forum included:

• Multifaceted approach to gender-responsive budgeting by showcasing diverse experiences in transforming local communities. This approach focused on informing global strategies for gender equality;
• Enhancing the methodologies and tools for tracking international funding directed towards gender equality initiatives;
• Generating methodological ideas for GRB to effectively contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.

The event started with the Opening Launch of the second phase of the Gender Budget Watchdog Network on October 18, taking place at the Triumphal Arch of Skopje. This launch event marked our commitment to strengthening the network as an active and recognized entity. The network is dedicated to enhancing civil society participation in policy and budget processes related to gender-transformative resilience response and climate change.

During the launch event, Mr. David Muckenhuber, the ADA Head of Office, Ami Larsson Jain, the Swedish Ambassador to Macedonia, and Marija Risteska, the regional director of GBWN, delivered opening remarks and shared valuable insights. This event set the stage for the subsequent GRB Forum, emphasizing the importance of civil society participation in promoting gender equality and addressing climate change challenges.

Day one highlights

On October 19th, the forum opened with an address by Marija Risteska, underlining the vital role of GRB in international development organizations, governments, and stakeholder initiatives. Enver Husejin, the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy and Lidija Arsova, CEI representative echoed this sentiment, emphasizing inclusion and addressing vulnerabilities.

Panel one: Experts delved into the current methodologies for tracking financing, including OECD, EU, and UN gender markers. Speakers stressed the importance of gender-disaggregated data and tracking budget expenditure for gender equality.
Panel two: This segment focused on tools for gender budget tracking and institutional mechanisms, addressing gender markers, terminology, impact measurement, and the roles of institutions and policies.
Panel three: Strategies for GRB advocacy were explored, including international cooperation, political challenges, and the importance of integrating GRB into policies and budgets.
The consensus from day one was clear: practical implementation of GRB, political will, and the promotion of gender equality in budgeting and policies are paramount.

Day two highlights

October 20th brought a fresh perspective to GRB, focusing on its methodologies in the context of climate change.

Panel four: Experts discussed the transformative power of GRB at the local level in informing global and local initiatives. Local civil society organizations and governments stressed the importance of political will, gender-sensitive budgeting, and increased participation.
Panel five: The conversation centered on gender mainstreaming in policy and budgeting for development, emphasizing the need for gender-responsive budgeting, communication, capacity building, and inclusive policies.
Panel six: The discussion revolved around climate change financing and gender justice, highlighting the gendered impact of climate change and the importance of gender-responsive financing.
Panel seven: Focusing on gender and resilience programming and budgeting, this panel underscored the importance of integrating gender dynamics into resilience response programs and highlighted the significance of gender-sensitive budgeting.
In the closing remarks, speakers emphasized the need for collaboration, advocacy at the international level for gender-responsive budgeting, and influencing climate change financing from a gender perspective. Building coalitions and expanding the network were also highlighted as essential steps for furthering gender equality initiatives.

In conclusion, the forum offered a deep dive into the various facets of gender-responsive budgeting, discussing challenges and successes in its implementation, and the importance of political will, data collection, and civil society involvement in achieving gender equality and addressing climate change. The insights shared at this event underscore the critical role GRB plays in shaping a more equitable and inclusive future.

The Gender Responsive Budgeting FORUM was a joint initiative between the EU funded project “Through gender lenses: Appraising budgets and policies, watchdogging local action plans for gender equality implementation” and the Gender Budget Watchdog Network, supported by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), with additional support from the Central European Initiative – CEI.

Report GRB Forum

The discussions throughout the training were fruitful, with participants actively engaging in the sessions.

On the first day, we revised knowledge on gender concepts and entry points for civil society work on budgeting and budget monitoring. The introduction of the methodology for monitoring resilience and emergency funding in times of crises from gender perspective sparked meaningful conversations among the participants, especially on the determinants of the crises and their manifestations in form of raising costs of living, inflation rates, energy poverty and food insecurity.  The corner stone of these discussions were the different impact the multiple crises we live in have on women and specifically on vulnerable women: single mothers, victims of violence, Roma women, women with disabilities and young women. The interactive activities, including case studies and quizzes, triggered smiles, competitive spirit and created  fund atmosphere throughout the day.

The second day opportunities for application of the methodology for assessing gender impact of resilience funding during crises, for which 5 case studies from different countries of the region were prepared to apply the skills acquired. During the workshop participants explored various strategies for evaluating the gender impact of the design of measures in agriculture, housing, heating and energy provision, and presented ideas on how the measures design may be improved to gender equally allocate finances planned for assisting vulnerable societal groups to respond to the crises. The networking opportunities created during the second day enabled participants to learn from successful initiatives implemented by CSOs from different countries during Covid 19 crises and discussed its relevance for the current economic, energy and food/supply chain crises.

On the third day, the training focused on the importance of sex-disaggregated statistics and gender indicators in CSO watchdog work. Trainers provided an overview of these concepts and their role in gender analysis of policies and budgets. Participants engaged in discussions centered around identifying reliable sources for sex-disaggregated data and fostering discussions on creating independent data sources. Further they were introduced to the methodology on assessing

gender impact of policy and budgetary measures and an opportunity to apply the skills gained on the case studies that were assessed in the second day focusing on measures in agriculture, housing, heating and energy provision.

Overall the training provided participants with the necessary skills and knowledge on two specific GRB tools they can use in watchdog work of measures developed and implemented in times of crises. In the same time the training allowed for a networking opportunity and coalition building entry point for advocacy of policy changes. The participants are now ready to prepare full proposal under the mentorship of the GBWN experts in GRB and implement policy research and advocacy projects for gender responsive resilience funding in the seven countries of GBWN operation.

The project is supported by Austrian Development Agency and Swedish International Development Agency.

Please ensure to review them prior to submitting your application.

The answers to the questions can be accessed via the following link – Questions and Answers for the Public Call.

The public call is available in both English and local languages, and you can find more information on how to submit your proposal via the links below:

• Call for proposals in English
• Call for proposals in Albanian
• Call for proposals in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian/Montenegrin
• Call for proposals in Macedonian
• Call for proposals in Romanian

The deadline for submissions is April 07 2023.

Project: STRENGTHENING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR GENDER EQUALITY IN WESTERN BALKANS AND MOLDOVA (GENDER BUDGET WATCHDOG NETWORK, PHASE II)

Financed by: Austrian Development Agency and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency

Implementing partners: Center for Research and Policy Making, Gender Alliance for Development Centre; Centre for Civil Society Promotion; Kosovo Women’s Network; Women Action; Gender Knowledge Hub, Keystone Moldova

The Gender Budget Watchdog Network (GBWN) announces a public Call for Applications for Capacity Building and Sub-Granting in Gender Responsive Budgeting and Resilience Response by the Gender Budget Watchdog Network from N. Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and Moldova.

Documents and Guidelines – How to Apply?

• Public Call for Applications for Capacity Building and Sub-Granting in Gender Responsive Budgeting and resilience response
• Annex 1 – Application form and Concept Note

Project: STRENGTHENING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR GENDER EQUALITY IN WESTERN BALKANS AND MOLDOVA (GENDER BUDGET WATCHDOG NETWORK, PHASE II)

Financed by: Austrian Development Agency and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency

Implementing partners: Centre for Research and Policy Making, Gender Alliance for Development Centre; Centre for Civil Society Promotion; Kosovo Women’s Network; Women Action; Gender Knowledge Hub, Keystone Moldova

The Gender Budget Watchdog Network (GBWN) announces a public Call for Applications for Capacity Building and Sub-Granting in Gender Responsive Budgeting and Resilience Response by the Gender Budget Watchdog Network from N. Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and Moldova.

Project background

Governments have yet to fully implement commitments to gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) and to institutionalize GRB throughout the budget process. Additionally, gender analysis and a gender-transformative approach to climate change in the Western Balkans (WB) and Moldova is limited. Meanwhile, while the engagement of civil society on gender and climate change, respectively, has increased, only a few crosscutting initiatives on   gender equality and climate change have existed. CSOs and policymakers still lack knowledge, methodologies, and skills in GRB, particularly related to climate change and resilience response financing, as demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic when the scarcity of capacities for gender transformative resilience response was more than obvious. [1]

The overall objective of our joint Project is to improve public commitments for gender responsive climate action and increase available financing to implement gender-responsive climate action in the WB region and Republic of Moldova.

The anticipated Project outcomes include to:

• Strengthen visibility and international recognition of the work of the Gender Budget Watchdog Network;
• Increased CSO capacities to use GRB tools watch-dogging climate change policy and financing;
• Improve CSO participation in policy and budgeting processes by using gender budget watchdog;
• Improved availability of tools for increased government accountability, particularly in resilience response, climate change financing and gender responsiveness of the climate change policy framework.

Call for applications

As the advocates of social justice and equality, it is crucial that CSOs have a deep understanding of gender-responsive budgeting and how the governments should apply it to create more equitable societies. Therefore, with this call, we invite civil society organizations from the WB and Moldova to submit a project concept note for the following types of grants.

National Grants – Two (2) grants will be awarded per country, with the maximum amount of €8,000 per grant. Projects must be completed in a period of up to eighteen months from the date of the signature of the contract.

Regional Grants – Two grants will be awarded with the maximum amount of €25,000 per grant. Projects must be completed in a period of up to twenty-four months.

In total 16 grants (2 per country and 2 regional) will be provided under these grant schemes.

The concept note should relate to gender-responsive budgeting and resilience response funding, including gender analysis to inform expenditures, monitoring expenditures using gender impact analysis, or using other GRB tools. Potential issues that projects may focus on may be, but not necessarily limited to:

• Energy crises
• Security crises emerging from the Ukrainian-Russian conflict
• Food crises
• Emergency and disaster response
• Environmental crises
• Effects of rising cost of living on gender equality

After selection, the representatives of each of the selected organizations will have to commit to attend three training modules on gender responsive budgeting where they will develop their knowledge regarding different GRB tools. This knowledge should then be used to develop a full project proposal with tailored assistance (mentoring guidance) from gender budgeting experts and mentors from GBWN. Two of the training modules are available online on the GBWN e-academy (Basic GRB and Advanced GRB), designed specifically for CSOs. The third training on “Monitoring Resilience Response” will be organized in-person in Montenegro from 16 to 19 May 2023. The applying organizations will need to nominate one representative to attend and complete these trainings, specifying the attendee of the Montenegro training during the application process. After attending these trainings, the organizations will be invited to submit full proposals for funding.

Eligibility of applicants

Legally registered CSOs from all 7 countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia^[2], Moldova, Montenegro and Serbia can apply. This includes, preferably, but not necessarily:

• Women’s rights organization – organizations that work furthering women’s rights, as well as those that have an intersectional approach in working with diverse women, such as rural women, women with disabilities, the poor, and persons of different sexual orientations and gender identities;
• Think tank organizations – especially those working on relevant to EU accession reforms in education, aging, youth, public administration, and public finance reforms, among others;
• CSOs working on public finance (budget or procurement issues) – dealing with public finance, budget monitoring, and public procurement monitoring;
• Environmental organisations – dealing with environmental agenda(s);
• Men’s organizations – organizations active in gender equality and issues faced by men;
• Organizations working on implementing UN Resolution 1325 and the women, peace and security agenda.

To be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant and its partners must:

• finish the two online modules of training and commit to participate in the third training in Montenegro with physical presence (all travel and training costs will be paid by the organizers);
• be a legal person;
• be non-profitmaking;
• be registered/ established at least two years before the publication of this Call;
• be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the project with their partners, not acting as an intermediary;
• be willing to undergo a participatory Organization and Advocacy Capacity Assessment if selected to receive a grant, to develop a Capacity Development Plan based on the assessment findings and related to the proposed project, and work to implement it as part of the project; and
• for the Regional grants at least 3 CSOs from 3 different countries must be part of the consortium, and each of the 3 CSOs must satisfy the eligibility criteria above.

Number of applications and grants per applicants

The lead applicant may not submit more than 1 application under the national call for applications.

However, a lead applicant for a national grant may be a partner in 1 other application of the regional call at the same time.

The lead applicant may be awarded more than 1 grant under this call for applications (once under the national sub-granting scheme, and second as a partner under the regional sub-granting scheme).

LIST OF REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR CONCEPT NOTE STAGE OF APPLICATION

The following documents must be submitted at the Concept Note Stage:

• Filled in Application Form and Concept Note (Annex 1);
• The statute of the CSO and each CSO partner (in regional grants);
• Financial statement for the last two years;
• Proof of Registration.

TIMELINE

CONCEPT NOTES EVALUATION CRITERIA

As part of the administrative evaluation, the Consortium reserves the right to verify information and documents submitted by applicants, with authorized providers of such services and / or state institutions.

The concept notes will be evaluated against criteria set out below. The concept notes will receive an overall score out of 30 maximum points using the breakdown in the evaluation grid below. The evaluation criteria is divided into headings and subheadings. Each subheading will be given a score between 1 and 5 as follows: 1 = very poor; 2 = poor; 3 = adequate; 4 = good; 5 = very good.

SUBMISSION AND DEADLINE

The completed application form, concept note, and documents should be sent directly to the Learning and Grants Manager of GBWN – Elena Acevska on the following e-mail address: acevska@crpm.org.mk no later than 07.04.2023 COB.

[1] For more details please refer to the publications of GBWN: https://gbwn.net/en/publications/

[2] Law on Associations and Foundations (Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia, No. 52, dated 16.04.2010) Закон за здруженија и фондации (Службен весник на Република Македонија, бр.52, од 16.04.2010)

Our expert panelists – Jelena Peranic Attenelle (DG JUST D3), Marija Risteska (Center for Research and Policy Making), Slavica Striković (Ženska Akcija), Alina Andronache (Partnership Center for Development), Amina Dizdar (Sarajevski otvoreni centar), Dita Dobranja (Economic expert), and Jano Puškar (father that used paternity leave in Vojvodina, Serbia) shared their insights and experiences, and we had some great audience participation as well.

It’s clear that there is a growing awareness of the EU Directive on work-life balance for parents and carers, costs and benefits – including changes to gender norms that can result from the alignment of national legislation with the EU directive. There is an immense need for parental leave policies that support both mothers and fathers.

The civil society organizations (CSOs) should increase their role in monitoring the implementation of these regulations and advocating for changes that would benefit families. This includes raising awareness among fathers about their paternity leave entitlements and encouraging them to take advantage of them. CSOs should also work to ensure that the regulations are effectively implemented and that families have access to the support they need.

The governments in the region should continue to align their legislation with the EU directive from 2018 and provide more generous benefits for parents and carers. This would help to create a more family-friendly work environment and promote gender equality in the workplace and at home.

There is a need for greater collaboration between CSOs, governments, and other stakeholders in the region to create policies that effectively support families and promote gender equality. By doing so, we can create a more inclusive society where both men and women have the opportunity to balance their professional and personal lives.

The webinar was organized in synergy between the two projects “Strengthening Transparency and Accountability for Gender Equality in Western Balkans and Moldova”, supported by the Austrian Development Agency and the Sida – Styrelsen för Internationellt Utvecklingssamarbete and the project “Through gender Lenses appraising budgets and policies; watch-dogging local action plans for gender equality implementation” funded by the European Union.

The webinar will take place online via the Zoom platform on March 10 (Friday) 2023, beginning at 1:00 pm CET time.

Since 2nd of August 2022 EU countries apply Directive (EU) 2019/1158 on work-life balance for parents and carers which stipulates provisions on the maternity, paternity and carer’s leave to be regulated. On the other hand, in some of the Western Balkan countries, as well as Moldova, there are ongoing debates on reforming national labor codes that will attempt to align national legislation with the EU one.

The webinar aims at:

• Raising awareness on the EU Directive on work-life balance for parents and carers and what is the status of its implementation in Western Balkans and Moldova;
• Discuss the costs and benefits including change of gender norms that can result from the alignment of national legislation with the EU directive.

In order to attend the webinar, we kindly ask you to register your participation at the following link – http://bit.ly/3YRJJzz

The webinar is organized in synergy between the two projects “Strengthening Transparency and Accountability for Gender Equality in Western Balkans and Moldova”, supported by the Austrian Development Agency and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the project “Through gender Lenses appraising budgets and policies; watch-dogging local action plans for gender equality implementation” funded by the European Union.

(!) The working language of this webinar is English. Translation will be provided in Macedonian, Serbian/Montenegrin/Bosnian, Albanian and Romanian.

You can find the Report from the Webinar HERE.

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We continue to enrich our GBWN academy with new GRB modules. For that purpose, Gender Budget Watchdog Network is looking for expert/s that will engage in developing guidebook and related e-training materials on:

• Gender budget watchdogging in climate change financing 

Please consult the Terms of Reference for more details on the tasks and duties, as well as the necessary qualifications to be eligible candidate for the consultancy on this LINK.

Your CVs and financial offers (expressed in €) can be sent by January 31^st, 2023, 17:00 h CET to simonovski@crpm.org.mk and matevska@crpm.org.mk. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be taken into consideration.

We continue to enrich our GBWN academy with new GRB modules. For that purpose, Gender Budget Watchdog Network is looking for expert that will engage in developing guidebook and related e-training materials on:

• High level advocacy and lobbying for CSOs on Gender responsive budgeting (GRB) in Climate change;

Please consult the Terms of Reference for more details on the tasks and duties, as well as the necessary qualifications to be eligible candidate for the consultancy on this LINK.

Your CVs and financial offers (expressed in €) can be sent by January 31^st, 2023, 17:00 h CET to simonovski@crpm.org.mk. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be taken into consideration.