Experience Exchange on Gender Responsive Budgeting Among Türkiye and Serbia

In a bid to fortify the implementation of Gender-Responsive Planning and Budgeting (GRB) practices in Türkiye, the third study visit of the "Implementing Gender-Responsive Planning and Budgeting in Türkiye Project" took place, in Serbia. Spearheaded by UN Women Türkiye in collaboration with the Ministry of Family and Social Services (MoFSS) - General Directorate on the Status of Women (GDSW) and Presidency of Strategy and Budget (SBP), and co-funded by the European Union and United Nations, this initiative seeks to foster equality between women and men in Türkiye by integrating gender perspectives into policymaking and budgeting processes.

The study visit aimed at introducing internationally recognized best practices in GRB to central level public institutions in Türkiye, as well as strengthening Türkiye's implementation of GRB. In particular, the visit focused on learning from the Serbian authorities on the establishment of the necessary legal frameworks for the embedding of the GRB in budgetary legislation and related documents and the development of technical capacities for regulatory impact assessment activities.

Participants comprised expert-level members from various institutions, including the UN Women Türkiye, General Directorate on the Status of Women, Presidency of Strategy and Budget (SBP), Ministry of Treasury and Finance, Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, and Union of Municipalities of Türkiye. 

During the study visit to Serbia, the Turkish delegation held discussions on different issues related to the implementation of the GRB. Representatives from different institutions of Serbia shared their views on key issues such as gender equality in the strategic planning process, GRB implementation at local and provincial levels and the role of GRB in integrating the gender equality perspective in different areas such as employment, environmental protection and climate change.

The ultimate objective of the study visit was to equip national institutions with the necessary tools and knowledge on GRB to advance gender equality through planning and budgeting in Türkiye. In this context, the exchange of experiences with the Serbian authorities aimed to provide guidance to policy makers to improve Türkiye's policy framework and practices in the field of GRB in the light of international best practices.