“Every state budget planning must take into account the gender dimension if we want to be prosperous”, President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova said at the opening of the international forum “Going Glocal 2.0: Sustainable Gender-Responsive Futures”, which is being held today and tomorrow in Skopje.
For her, gender-responsive budgeting is a transformative instrument, as a systemic change in the way the state sees, understands and addresses social needs.
The President said that gender equality and climate resilience are the foundation of the future, and sustainable solutions to these challenges will be of essential importance for governments, as well as for societies throughout the region.
She also stressed the important role of civil society organizations, local authorities and rural communities, which are on the front lines of climate change adaptation and response.
According to the President, gender responsive budgeting is not just a technical procedure, but a tool for good policies and good budgeting, created in a transparent procedure with accountability and fairness in public spending.
Siljanovska-Davkova believes that as a small economy we cannot afford the luxury of unplanned spending and expressed expectations for institutionalization and implementation of gender-based budgeting.
The event, organized by the Gender Responsive Budgeting Network and the Center for Research and Policy Making, was also addressed by the Ambassador of Austria, Martin Pamer, the Deputy Ambassador of Sweden, Elizabeth Dahlberg Frisk, Andrej Lepavcov, Director of the Directorate for European Union Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and Marija Risteska, Regional Director of the Responsible Budgeting Network.
The full text of President Siljanovska-Davkova’s address follows.
Dear Ambassadors,
Representatives of International Organizations,
Members of the Gender Responsive Budgeting Network,
Representatives of civil society organizations,
Experts and guests from more than 20 countries,
It is a great honor for the Macedonian state to host the second edition of the Going Glocal Forum, organized by the Gender Responsive Budgeting Network, a regional platform that creates an environment of dialogue and reasoned debate, aimed at a future in which gender, climate challenges and public finances are considered in medias res, at the core of the public policies.
The Council of Europe defines gender responsive budgeting as mandatory inclusion of a gender perspective in all stages of the budget cycle. For me, it is not just a technical procedure, but a tool for better policymaking, which brings transparency, accountability and fairness in public spending.
Gender-responsive budgeting is a highly transformative instrument, as it means a systemic change in the way the state sees, understands and addresses social needs.
Therefore, I prefer to say that gender-responsive budgeting is actually good budgeting, because it exposes the inequalities hidden behind budget lines and enables a realistic assessment and fairer distribution of public funds for the needs of women and men.
As a state with limited fiscal space, yet with serious reform obligations, smart evidence-based public finances are not a choice, but an obligation. Guided by this logic, as an MP, I supported the adoption of the amendments submitted by the Center for Research and Policy Making, which in 2022 paved the path for systematic integration of the gender perspective in budget planning and execution. However, I am aware that the implementation is still incomplete and precisely for this reason I see the civil society as an extremely important partner of the government in fulfilling the obligations arising from the reform.
I am particularly pleased that the Macedonian civil society is actively contributing to the regional coalition of over 100 members of the Gender Responsive Budgeting Network. I believe that through it we will continue to learn from each other, exchange good practices and improve public financial management in the region.
I particularly appreciate your contribution in creating credible oversight research for the Western Balkans and Moldova, as well as in placing the topic of good budgeting high on the political agenda in the region.
As President, I value your work and commitment to evidence-based redistribution of public finances. It is an investment in more resilient institutions and in a budget that truly reflects the needs of all citizens, with no exception, in the spirit of the constitutional core values: equality and fairness.
This forum highlights a topic which is not gender neutral, but is of crucial importance for our future: the climate crisis. Women and men face different types of vulnerabilities: in agriculture, in transport, in health or in disaster management. Therefore, effective climate policy requires a deep understanding of these differences. If we do not analyze the roles, needs and constraints arising from gender norms, we risk that climate measures will unintendedly create even greater inequalities.
You are facing important questions: how to create climate and gender-responsive capital investments? How to improve women’s participation in green economies? Which sectors should gender and climate-sensitive budgeting primarily target? How to build a culture of institutional accountability? How to use data, digital tools and indicators to monitor progress?
For me, it is very important that at the forum, in the spirit of glocalization, you combine global experience with local challenges, along with local authorities, rural communities and civil society organizations, precisely those who are on the front lines of climate change adaptation and response.
Moreover, I welcome the participation of governments, municipalities, regional organizations, international partners and the private sector. Your presence sends a clear message that climate resilience is a shared responsibility.
Let me remind you that the Macedonian state has not only made ambitious commitments to reduce its carbon footprint by 2030, but is also a pioneer in designating budget funds that are relevant to climate change.
I encourage you to use this forum as a real opportunity for an argumentative discussion on: limited fiscal predictability, poor implementation of gender-equal programs, lack of data for informed climate planning, pronounced differences between rural and urban communities, as well as the barriers that women face in participating in budget processes and accessing green jobs.
Small-sized economies, like the Macedonian, cannot afford the luxury of unplanned spending. Civil society organizations can be a structural pillar of reforms, possessing the expertise and field knowledge, and especially because of the independent oversight with which the integrity of the reforms is guaranteed.
I wish and expect: institutionalization of gender-responsive budgeting; investment in training of administration in analytics, statistics, gender policies, climate adaptation; strengthening of local self-government; preparation of gender and climate analyses for each capital project; development of national databases for gender and climate indicators; strategic dialogue between the state, the civil sector and the private sector for sustainable policies and creation of a model for integrated budget marking (climate + gender) as a regional example.
To summarize: gender equality and climate resilience are the foundation of a sustainable future!
Finding sustainable solutions to these challenges will be of essential importance for the governments throughout the region.
Thank you.
