Budget for gender equality in a time of pandemic: hindering progress or closing the gap-Country report- Serbia

This gender analysis gives better insight into and understanding of the impact that public finance management has during major crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the mid to long-term and far-reaching effects in terms of gender equality and the everyday quality of life for citizens. It considers the extent to which the response to the crisis has contributed to the set goal of achieving gender equality, as stated in the Serbian Budget System Law. At the same time it analyses the impact that the budget reallocations have had on women and men. The main focus of this analysis is the budget of the Republic of Serbia for 2020 and the subsequent revisions, namely the increases and reductions made to the budget for 2020 in response to the COVID-19 crisis. In addition, this publication also gives in-depth analysis of two ministries: Ministry of Economy, since it received the highest budget increase through the budget revision, primarily because of the comprehensive package of support for businesses; and Ministry of Culture and Information since the cultural sector, which in terms of its share of the total budget of the Republic of Serbia was already underfunded, suffered further reductions and support for this sector was largely absent or with significant delays. In the future, all of the findings from this analysis will help to minimize the negative consequences on gender equality and at the same time to maximize the positive impact that can be gained during times of crisis and challenges facing society.