Gender-related budget allocations increased from 24.7% of the total budget in FY10 to 34.4% in the latest FY24 budget, according to the Recurrent, Capital, Gender, and Poverty (RCGP) database.
While some of the increase over time is likely attributable to more comprehensive reporting of gender-related expenditure across ministries and divisions, these sizable numbers reflect the government's commitment to directing budget resources to advance women's well-being.
However, experts will not call 34% gender-related budget allocation a gender-responsive budget. They said it is a step in the right direction and indicates there is a possibility that Bangladesh will start the gender-responsive budgeting process next year.
They were speaking at a National Workshop on “Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting Guideline and Monitoring Tools” which was held at Dhaka, initiated by Bangladesh Nari Pragati Sangh (BNPS) with support from UN Women Bangladesh, on Wednesday.
The panelists said implementation of gender sensitive action plans and budget formulation guidelines and monitoring tools is essential for women's empowerment.
Prakash Kanti Chowdhury, joint secretary (Development) of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, noted that recent financial years have seen gender budgets allocated across three thematic areas: increasing women's access to government services, empowering women and enhancing their social status, and increasing women's participation in production, labour markets, and income-generating activities.
He said: “There are about 51% women in Bangladesh. We have to look at the gender lens in our budget. We have to focus on gender. We have selected thematic areas, gender empowerment and social development.”
He reiterated the necessity of a gender-sensitive national action plan, appropriate budget allocations, and a robust monitoring system for women’s empowerment, urging collaboration among development aid organizations, civil society, and government institutions.
UN Women’s Program Manager Tapati Saha, Program Officer Noor Ali Shah, and UNDP's Mohammad Raziur Rahman presented draft guidelines for gender-sensitive planning and budgeting for the union period 2023.
During a presentation, Tapati and Noor Ali said that they will combine these guidelines and suggestions which came from experts in this event and send them to the ministry for considering all these proposals in the budget so that women's empowerment and poverty is given importance in the gender budget. It will be helpful to focus on implementation.
A ministry-wise breakdown of gender-related budget allocations reveals the four highest nominal allocations in the Local Government Division, Ministry of Primary and Mass Education,
Secondary and Higher Education Division, and Road Transport and Highways Division, whereas the largest share of the budget benefiting women was found in the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MoWCA), Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, Medical Education and Family Welfare Division, and Ministry of Railways, all with shares above 60% (Ministry of Finance 2023).
At the discussion, UN Women's Deputy Country Representative Navanita Sinha highlighted the historical significance of gender budgeting in Bangladesh, noting its expansion from four ministries in 2009-10 to 44 ministries today.
She emphasized the crucial role of gender-sensitive planning, budgeting guidelines, and monitoring tools in reducing inequality and effectively implementing gender budgeting.
Mashfika Zaman Satyar, senior policy advisor of the Netherlands Embassy, underscored the national budget's importance in implementing the national women's development policy.
She also noted the Netherlands Embassy's four-year support in developing effective planning and monitoring tools for the national budget.
“Bangladesh has a lot of good policies. We have to focus on implementing them. For implementation, we need to work on a guideline of how to do it,” added Mashfika Zaman.
Prosenjit Chakma, assistant country representative of UNDP emphasized that the country's overall development is unattainable if women, constituting half of the population, are left behind.
He expressed the hope that gender-sensitive planning and budget formulation guidelines would positively impact women's empowerment.
Rokeya Kabir, executive director of BNPS, pointed out that over 50% of the population are women who still face discrimination and oppression.
She called for greater awareness among policymakers regarding quotas for disadvantaged communities, sexual harassment, and women's inheritance rights.
She stressed that national budget allocations are crucial for equitable resource distribution and women's economic, social, and political empowerment.
Representatives from the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, Local Government Department, Women Affairs Directorate, National Institute of Local Governance, PKSF, UN agencies, development organizations, women’s organizations, union and upazila parishads, Jayita Foundation, and women activists and journalists participated in the event.
The workshop was moderated by UN Women's Program Officer Humaira Binte Faruque, with a Q&A session conducted by gender budget expert Nilufar Ahmed Karim.