Objectives

Gender Budgeting Training and Study Visit in order to identify, digest, understand, and learn the Philippines initiatives, experiences, and plans in Gender Budgeting application, implementation, processes, and achievements.

Conclusion

1. 
   Gender Budgeting Training and Study Visit. Gender Budgeting in the Philippines has to some extent been established and to date has been applied to most Government Agencies in central and some regional/cities levels.

2. Success story however noted to a number of regional government such as Cebu and Quezon City while most regions/cities undergo quite a handful resistance and still struggling to achieve the expected result of gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting. In the central government level, the achievement need to be underlined since a solid system has been maintained by the role of National Economic and Development Agency (NEDA), Departement of Budgeting and Management (DBM), National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW), and the related line ministries.

3. A comprehensive Matrix to evaluate the proposed Gender and Development (GAD) Plan (submitted by line ministries) has been adopted. However detailed review and evaluation processes were not revealed due to time constrain and possibly limited substantive agreed to be shared with the Delegation.

4. Legal based system indeed an important aspect in the GAD Budget application that secured its implementation and adoption.

5. Coordination as well as commitment among related actors (Government, NGOs, prominent people/public figure, and civil societies) are the key success to develop a GAD Plan and Gender Budgeting mechanism.

6. A reflection of Violence Against Women (VAW) elimination activities was told and reviewed, and is considered as best practices wrapped by strong commitments and systematic approaches as well as an ample budget allocation. This is a good example of efficient and effective GAD Plan and gender budgeting planning and implementation.

Recommendation(s)/Follow up action to be taken

1. 
   A training and study visit in the development, review and evaluation processes of a GAD Plan as well as the Gender Budgeting is a must follow-on activity to complete the picture and understanding gained through the last Study Visit (30 July – 4 August). It is expected that UNFPA could provide the assistance and support the follow-on activity, within the very near future, with an expectation that an initial GAD Plan may be developed before the next CEDAW meeting in the UN in 2008.

2. A series of meeting may be conducted (start end August) to discuss the construction of GAD Plan. The meeting will be chaired by Bappenas and selected line ministries as well as NGOs will be invited.

3. The 5% budget for GAD is a form of encouragement so far and considered as a political approach, since Bappenas prefer to focus on the Gender responsive program and activities that lead to a GAD Plan. This stand point is believed to be a more persuasive approach and promising in the effort to implement GAD Budgeting iinitiatives.

4. A close coordination with the Ministry of Finance is expected to be formed focusing in Gender budgeting preliminary mechanism. This will be discussed extensively within Bappenas (WRI and Pattiro involvement is expected) before a wider audience are invited.

5. Several development sectors out of the 9 sectors that initially evaluated to have a gender responsive program and planning may be the main focus of the listed follow-on activities above.

6. A project on GAD Plan and Gender Budgeting maybe developed to secure the activities listed above; assistance from donors is expected to be achieved and available in the form of consultancy, technical assistance, training, and study visit.

7. Assistances from UNFPA may also cover the 6 provinces under CP7 as well as the 4 main agencies. The joint planning process may be an initial step to place efforts related to GAD Plan and Gender Budgeting.

Cebu and Quezon City, Philippines
July 30 – August 4, 2007