GENDER AND EQUITY PLANNING AND BUDGETING   By The Equal Opportunities Commission Plot 7, Luthuli Close, Bugolobi, P.O. Box 27672, Kampala. Structure of Presentation 1. Introduction, Vision & Mission of EOC 2. Gender & Equity Planning & Budgeting 3. Conclusions

Introduction EOC is a body corporate established by the 1995 Constitution of Uganda Article 32 (2); to give effect to the State’s constitutional mandate to eliminate discrimination & inequalities against any individual or group of persons & take AA in favour of groups marginalised for the purpose of redressing imbalances which exist against them (EOC Act, 2007). EOC Vision Vision: “A just and fair society where all persons have equal opportunity to participate and benefit in all spheres of political, economic, social & cultural life”.

Gender & Equity Planning & Budgeting In Feb, 2015, gov't of Uganda strengthened commitment to realise equal opportunities in P&B by introducing the PFM Act, 2015 with 3 provisions of compliance to G&E. It is now mandatory for Sectors, MDAs and LGs to comply with G&E requirements during P&B so as to be issued a Certificate of Compliance with G&E requirements. The Certificate is issued by the Minister of FPED in consultation with the EOC. Purpose of G&E P&B at LG Level To ensure balanced inclusive growth & development. Promote equity, equality, efficiency & transparency in the budget process including the realization of social, economic & cultural rights & good governance. A practical approach of equitably allocating and utilizing available resources Achieve SDGs (2030) (No poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health & wellbeing for all, quality Education, gender equality, Clean Water & Sanitation for all, Reduced Inequality, Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions etc)

Categories of vulnerable groups to consider Youth Women Older Persons The Poor Persons with Disabilities People Living with HIV/AIDs among other illnesses like Sickle Cells Persons staying in hard to reach places Ethnic Minorities Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children

G&E Issues Identified in the NDP ll Trade and Industry Limited availability of requisite vocational and technical skills among women and vulnerable groups for industrial and trade development. Works and Transport Poor community road infrastructure Energy and Mineral Development 1.Limited availability and use of renewable energy technologies like bio-fuels, wind, solar, improved cook stoves and Liquid Petroleum Gas at household and institutional levels.   2.Limited connection to the grid in peri-urban and rural areas. Water and Environment Inequitable access to water for household use and production in water stressed areas. Public Sector Management Lack of child care services at places of work Lack of equitable Local Economic Development (LED) programs in LGs. Limited implementation of programmes to strengthen national capacity for gender and equity responsive policy development, implementation and monitoring.

Social Development Limited economic empowerment and entrepreneurship skills for women and vulnerable groups. Agriculture 1.Limited access to labour-saving technologies for food production for women farmers and other vulnerable groups 2.Un-equal access to agricultural credit facilities for appropriate agro-processing. Health 1.Limited access to family planning services 2.Inadequate Skilled Birth Attendants 3.Inadequate equipment and personnel to handle Emergency Obstetric Care Education 1.Inadequate targeted programs for disadvantaged communities, marginalized groups and students with special learning needs 2.Lack of a Partnership Framework to address social-cultural and other barriers to girls' and boys’ attendance and retention in schools. 3.Limited involvement of special needs groups in Science, Technological Innovations 4.Low enrolment and participation of girls and other vulnerable groups in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in schools. Trade and Industry Limited availability of requisite vocational and technical skills among women and vulnerable groups for industrial and trade development.

How to identify G&E issues Gender and equity diagnosis. Identify the gender and equity issues in your district with respect to the various sectors This is done basing on existing statistics and studies to establish inequalities in access to, participation; and use of public goods and services. The inequalities should be examined in light of the different age-groups (children, youths, adults, and elderly); disability; sex; and location( rural, urban) Select the most serious inequality is the sector in terms of limiting the achievement of objectives

How to address G&E issues Determine the cause(s) of the priority gender and equity issues selected. As much as possible get to the root cause of the problems Establish the most appropriate solutions to the causes. Consider feasibility of the solutions in terms of resources and time Select solutions that have the highest impact in terms of addressing the causes listed Budget for the interventions and include in your budget framework paper

Gender and Equity challenges in PBB (Inadequate capacity to discern gender and equity issues during budgeting by responsible officers Lack of gender indicators during monitoring of government programmes to guide the next phase of budgeting Lack of disaggregated data by age, sex and region. Limited coordination modalities of government bodies in promoting gender and equity Inadequate resources allocated for the planned interventions to address the G&E gaps Limitations on legislative intervention

Thank You for listening Conclusions Gender and equity planning and budgeting is critical for sustainable inclusive growth and development. This is in line with the ultimate goal of the National Development Plan (NDP) II 2015/16-2019/20, which is to attain a middle income status by 2020, through strengthening the country’s competiveness for sustainable wealth creation, employment & inclusive growth. Thank You for listening