Source:UN Women
To help promote gender mainstreaming within the national budget, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN WOMEN, formerly UNIFEM), from February 25-26, 2011, conducted a series of capacity building workshops for the National Legislature on Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB).

As part of the Liberia Gender Responsive Budgeting Capacity Building Programme, the aim of the workshop was to create enhanced understanding of gender strategies for gender mainstreaming as well as introduce effective tools for gender budget analysis within the National Legislature.

At the end of the series of workshops, it is expected that Liberian Representatives and Senators will acquire the relevant skills and competences to analyze the gender responsiveness of the national budget and take the lead on ensuring that it meets the demands of Gender Equality.

The Gender Responsive Budgeting Initiative is being supported by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN WOMEN) with support from the Liberian Ministry of Finance.

"National budgets impact various sections of society differently through the pattern of resource allocation and prioritization. By integrating gender responsiveness within the national budget, one can adequately measure the extent to which gender commitments are translated into budgetary commitments that facilitate accountability, transparency, and community participation,'' said Izeduwa Derex-Briggs, the UN WOMEN Country Representative.

With plans to conduct additional sessions for the entire House of Representatives and Senate, the first session of the workshop targeted members of the Gender, Ways, Means and Finance Committees of the House of Representatives.

Within the broader framework of the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS), Gender Responsive Budgeting is crucial in the promotion of good governance and accountability. Its adoption within the National Legislature will enable to Government of Liberia to respond to the needs and aspirations of all segments of society, particularly marginalized and vulnerable groups.

A monitoring strategy is currently being developed to measure of the effectiveness of the program throughout the 2011 budgetary process.

• Liberia