Ankara, Türkiye – The "Implementing Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting in Turkey" project, executed by UN Women Türkiye in partnership with the Ministry of Family and Social Services (MoFSS) and the Presidency of Strategy and Budget, hosted an international conference titled “Gender Responsive Budgeting as a Transformative Approach Towards Equal and Equitable Society: International Experiences” on 29-30 May 2024.

The conference, co-funded by the European Union and the United Nations, was a significant milestone in the project's ongoing efforts to promote gender equality in Türkiye. The event focused on supporting the empowerment of women by raising awareness of gender responsive budgeting (GRB) in central and local governments, enhancing the capacity of governments in developing plans and programs that ensure equal rights, opportunities, and access for women and men, and strengthening effective monitoring and accountability through the development of women's organizations' capacities.

Gender Responsive Budgeting to Achieve 2030 Goals

Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş emphasized the ministry's commitment to sustainable and inclusive development : "As the Ministry, we support sustainable and inclusive development for all our citizens. We know that budgets sensitive to equal opportunities for women and men will strengthen the sense of justice in society."

Süreyya Erkan, General Director on the Status of Women, Ministry of Family and Social Services, discussed the systematic model created through the project: "Budgeting sensitive to equality between women and men is a process that ensures women's fair enjoyment of rights and opportunities. With this project we launched with UN Women, we have created a systematic and sustainable model. We increased the number of indicators on women's empowerment in the programs included in the central government budget."

Zeliha Ünaldı, UN Women Türkiye Deputy Country Director, highlighted the importance of accelerating and implementing effective policies for equality: "We need to accelerate and implement more effective policies for equality. We can use gender responsive budgeting as a tool to ensure that women, men, boys, and girls benefit equally from public resources and create transformative impact to achieve the 2030 goals."

Global Insights on Gender Mainstreaming and Budgeting Practices

In this conference, various topics were discussed, including gender mainstreaming in public financial management, the role of politics and decision-making mechanisms in the effective implementation of GRB, and accelerating regional and local level transformation through the implementation of GRB. The role and contributions of civil society organizations (CSOs) and academia, as well as international organizations' initiatives in fostering gender equality through GRB, were also explored. The event brought together representatives from ministries, public institutions, local governments, international organizations, civil society organizations, and academia, with panelists hailing from several countries, providing a diverse and comprehensive perspective on GRB practices worldwide.

The conference aimed to facilitate progress on GRB, identify entry points for future interventions, and share knowledge and experiences from different countries. This conference represents a major advancement towards embedding gender equality in budgeting and planning processes in Türkiye. It highlights the commitment of various stakeholders to create a more equitable and just society, fostering a deeper understanding and implementation of gender-responsive practices at all levels of governance.