Compliance With Planning and Budget Tools for Tracking Public Allocations for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Uganda’s case

Ensuring adequate financing for gender equality is central to implementing and achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 51 and all gender targets across the framework. The principle of proper financing for gender equality is rooted in the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action (para 345 and 346) adopted in 1995. Inadequate financing hinders the implementation of gender-responsive laws and policies. In 2015, member states adopted the Addis Ababa Action Agenda at the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, which commits to track gender equality allocations and increase transparency on public spending. In 2016, the Commission on the Status of Women at its 60th session called upon states to support and institutionalise gender-responsive budgeting and tracking across all sectors of public expenditure to address gaps in resourcing for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Uganda is committed to the 2009 African Union Gender Policy (2009) and the 1986 African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, aiming to ensure gender equality in Africa.3 At the National level, several policies highlight gender and equity planning and budgeting issues. These include the third National Development Plan (2020/21-2024/25), National Equal Opportunities Policy 2006; Uganda Gender Policy 2007; Uganda National Policy on Disability 2006; and National Youth Policy 2001. It is the responsibility of mandated institutions—notably the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), the Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED), and the Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development (MoGLSD) to ensure that gender and equity planning and budgeting is implemented in the country. To this effect, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and Local Governments (LGs) have to work with the institutions mentioned above to achieve gender and equity planning and budgeting.