Women’s Parliamentary Caucus hosts gender-responsive-budgeting session

Islamabad : Aimed at developing a strategic approach to promote gender-responsive public service and ensure effective implementation of national policies, the Women's Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) of the National Assembly, led by its Secretary Dr. Shahida Rehmani, organised a session on the Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) strategy at the Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services (PIPS).

The session' objectives were also to hold a discussion around necessary measures required to meet international obligations, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

Titled "Federal Budget FY2025-26: Promoting Gender-Responsive Budgeting," the session was moderated by constitutional expert Zafarullah Khan and organised in collaboration with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.

Dr. Shahida Rehmani delivered the opening remarks, outlining the WPC’s efforts to devise the Gender Responsive Budgeting Strategy 2023, which provides a roadmap for integrating gender-responsive budgeting into public policies and budgets. Barrister Aqeel Malik, MNA, updated participants on the Gender Mainstreaming Committee, now led by MNA Dr. Nafisa Shah. He explained that the committee is working with government departments to explore how gender-responsive budgeting can be incorporated into policies. The committee is also reviewing gender-related budget data to identify priorities for the Federal Budget FY2025-26 and advocating for equal development funds for MNAs on Reserved Seats.

The session saw participation from parliamentarians, officials from the Omar Asghar Khan Foundation, representatives from civil society, and academics. MNA Kesoo Mal Kheal Das highlighted the diverse roles of women in society, emphasizing their struggles as homemakers, labor force participants, politicians, and public representatives.

Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, President of the Young Parliamentarians Forum (YPF), discussed the challenges faced by women in her constituency, including neglect of 53 per cent of women voters, lack of ownership rights for divorced women, financial dependency, and limited access to healthcare and education.

Dr. Nafisa Shah, MNA, outlined the achievements of the Gender Mainstreaming Committee, including efforts to prioritize gender budgeting and send official notices to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning & Development to include gender-responsive budgeting in the upcoming budget process for FY2025-26. She also raised concerns over disparities in constituency development funds and emphasised the need to address this at the Prime Minister's Office.

The session provided a platform for meaningful discussions on integrating gender-responsive budgeting into the federal budget process, contributing to the empowerment of women and the achievement of national and international gender equality goals.