UN-INSTRAW is looking for an expert in designing participatory methodologies for evaluating aid flows from a gender perspective. This one-month consultancy is home-based and the deadline for applications is 31 July. Don’t hesitate to disseminate this offer widely among your networks! For more details please visit http://www.un-instraw.org/opportunities/

On June14, 2010 EU leaders adopted an Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Development for the period 2010-2015. The Action Plan, applicable to both the European Commission and Member States' development cooperation, aims to accelerate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on gender equality and maternal health, as well as to contribute to attaining other international development goals related to gender equality.

Read the action plan

Nepal

Article by Krishna Hari Baskota, Revenue Secretary Ministry of Finance of Nepal.

The original article was published in Nepali in the Kathmandu Post, daily Newspaper. The English translation of this article has been extensively edited.

Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) seeks to ensure that the needs and interest of women and men from different groups are addressed in governments’ budget. GRB is therefore one of the most effective tools to mainstream gender in policies and plans, to redress inequalities and to promote women's economic, social and political rights.

GRB was formally introduced in Nepal in the fiscal year 2007/2008, under the leadership of the Ministry of Finance. In recent years, the Ministry has put a great emphasis on the importance of making deliberate efforts to translate policies aimed at addressing gender inequalities into targeted and funded programs and to track public expenditures from a gender perspective. The government of Nepal has sought to integrate a gender perspective in the development policy framework through important initiatives including gender audit of line ministries, gender assessments, awareness-raising, gender training programmes at all levels of government and the establishment of a Gender Focal Point system.