1. Children’s Participation for Monitoring Government Budgets Jenifer Bukokhe Save the Children in Uganda Presentation-South Africa 05/2004

2. Overview n Poverty in Uganda: Current achievements n The missing dimension n Why child participation in monitoring government policies and budgets?

3. Overview n Categories of children n Questions asked n Use of information collected n How we can involve children in monitoring government policies and budgets- examples

4. Poverty in Uganda: current achievements n Consumption Poverty 56% in 1992 to 35% in 2000 n Established poverty monitoring systems n Poverty eradication at the heart of policies n Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP) 1997-

5. Poverty in Uganda: current achievements n Poverty Action Fund (PAF)- n Poverty Monitoring and Analysis Unit- MOFPED n National Poverty steering committee n Poverty Monitoring network n Uganda Poverty Participatory Assessment Project

6. Poverty in Uganda: current achievements n Uganda Bureau of Statistics surveys n Sectoral policies -equity is given priority

7. The missing dimension: children n Is children’s poverty the same as adult poverty? n Will policies to address general poverty automatically benefit children? n Can we regard children as insignificant in economic terms? n Will government budgets benefit all children?

8. Why child participation? n Knowledge of intra-household dynamics n Clear picture of whether general poverty reduction methods will in practice meet the needs of children n Economic significance of children n Children have acute development needs

9. Why child participation? n Under 18 represent the largest group of the poor (62%) under the poverty threshold n Investments in children will generate future benefits for the society n Children have a legal right to participate and to be listened to

10. Categories of children n Children with disabilities n Child headed household n Double orphans n Children from Single parents n Children whose parents/guardians cannot support them

11. Categories of children n Street children n Children affected by war n Children in conflict with the law n Children affected by HIV/AIDS

12. Questions addressed n What are children’s perspectives of child poverty, its causes and implications in Uganda? Do they differ from adults’? n What do we know or not know about tends in child poverty? Which groups of children are most vulnerable?

13. Questions addressed n What are the existing policies relating to children, and how effective are they? Do they meet children’s priorities? n What indicators should we use to monitor child poverty? What are the major gaps?

14. Summary of key findings n Broad and rich understanding of poverty n Emphasis on personal and family factors n Adults have a narrow materialistic understanding of poverty n Poverty as inherited but not uniformly – “Rich child can be poor”

15. Summary of key findings n Positive view of their potential role in mitigating poverty n Negative views about how society views them as poor children-shame of poverty n Negative emotions of despair n Annual country poverty status report

16. Children’s Perspectives part of: n Annual participatory poverty assessment report n Basis for reviewing the country Poverty Eradication Action Plan n Sectoral development strategies n Systematic thinking on social protection

17. Children’s Perspectives part of: n Orphans and Vulnerable children’s policy n Basis for developing child-focused poverty monitoring indicators n Initial thinking on involvement of children in gov’t budget monitoring

18. Children’s Perspectives part of: n Advocacy for budgets that will benefit both boys and girls- education, health n Budgets that address the rights of children without discrimination- geographical, gender, abilities n Advocacy donations and grants

19. Monitoring policies&budgets n Meaningful involvement of both girls and boys in public life n Consultations with children when developing/reviewing policies n Children in action initiatives n School management committees n Health committees

20. Monitoring policies&budgets n Monitoring Universal Primary Education n District and sub-county planning processes

21. For meaningful participation: n People who make the budgets must know children’s rights and child poverty n Accountability to children n Children need to understand more the budget and how the country’s money is spent

22. For meaningful participation: n Child friendly materials on budgets n Skills development n Conducive environment for child participation n MOFPED is powerful- need to show the added value