The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) in collaboration with the European Union Delegation to South Africa (EU) will host a Gender-Responsive Budgeting Virtual Policy Dialogue on 02 February 2022.

The main objective of the one-day Policy Dialogue is to elevate gender-responsive budgeting discourse and policy position, as well as to enhance the understanding of gender-responsive budgeting, in relation to its effectiveness in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Gender-responsive budgets are not separate budgets for women, but are general budgets that are planned, approved, executed, monitored, and audited in a gender-responsive way. The goal is to ensure resources are raised, allocated and spent in such a manner so as to eliminate gender disparities.

The Policy Dialogue forms part of ongoing interventions by the SA-EU Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Programme, which advocates for greater responsiveness of the country’s planning instruments to the priorities relating to women’s empowerment and the elimination of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) against women and children.

Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane will deliver the keynote address at the dialogue.

Other speakers on the programme include: Director-General of Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Advocate Mikateko Joyce Maluleke; Director-General of National Treasury Mr Mogajane Dondo; Deputy Head of the EU Delegation, Mr Raul de Luzenberger; Chair of the Financial and Fiscal Commission, Dr Patience Nombeko Mbava; Senior Fellow: Sonke Gender Justice, Ms Pregs Govender; Emeritus Professor University of Essex, Professor Diane Elson; Project Head: Women Democracy Initiative, Dullah Omar Institute, Ms Samantha Waterhouse; Deputy Director General: Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Annette Griessel and Acting Executive Director: Council for Economic Empowerment of Women in Africa, Ms Florence Kutessa.

Participants and attendees will include eminent government representatives, non-governmental organisations and subject matter experts.

Source: Government of South Africa