Through the mentorship initiative of the Gender Budget Watchdog Network (GBWN), significant outcomes have been achieved in strengthening the capacities of 20 civil society organizations (CSOs) from the Western Balkans and the Republic of Moldova in monitoring and advocacy on gender-responsive resilience response.
These achievements include:
- Enhanced Knowledge and Skills in Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB):
Mentors guided CSOs in developing comprehensive advocacy plans for GRB. This involved capacity-building assessments that identified gaps in knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding GRB, particularly in monitoring the impact of resilience responses and climate change financing. - Tailored Capacity-Building Programs:
With the support of mentors, customized tools and training programs were developed to build the watchdogging capacity of each organization. - Production of Gender Budget Watchdog Reports:
Mentors supported CSOs in creating gender budget watchdog reports, highlighting discrepancies and advocating for the equitable distribution of public finances. These reports served as a foundation for meaningful dialogue with local and regional authorities. - Implementation of Local and Regional Advocacy Actions:
CSOs, under mentorship, successfully executed advocacy actions that promoted gender balance in public finance allocations for resilience responses practices. These actions were informed by evidence-based insights from watchdog reports and advocacy plans. - Increased Advocacy Competence and Collaboration:
Through one training session (3 hours) and two individualized mentoring sessions per organization, mentors provided hands-on guidance and strategic advice tailored to each CSO’s context. This process fostered the development of practical advocacy skills and strengthened partnerships between CSOs and local authorities. - Improved Coordination and Accountability:
Regular communication and collaboration between mentors and the GBWN team ensured smooth implementation of advocacy plans. This coordination also enabled the collection and validation of outcomes, providing a clear picture of the progress achieved. - Comprehensive Reporting and Knowledge Sharing:
Each mentor delivered a final report documenting the outcomes of training, the impact of advocacy actions, and the progress achieved by the CSOs under their guidance. These reports provided actionable insights to GBWN for future capacity-building initiatives.
The mentorship program has significantly strengthened the ability of CSOs to influence gender-responsive budgeting and advocate for fair, sustainable public financial management practices. These outcomes demonstrate the effectiveness of tailored mentorship in empowering organizations to drive impactful change in their communities.
