Manila, Philippines - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Cambodia and in the Philippines facilitated a study visit to the Philippines on Gender Budgeting and Women’s Leadership for twenty-six officials from the Royal Government of Cambodia. The delegation was led by H.E. Dr. Ing Kantha Phavi, Minister of Women’s Affairs of Cambodia.

Gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) is an approach to public budgeting that uses analytical tools and processes to ensure that public investments support gender equality for all. 

The visit aimed to provide a learning experience on the subject of GRB implementation, which has been underway in the Philippines for almost three decades at national and sub-national levels. 

The delegation was composed of senior officials from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA), the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Civil Service, and the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, among other key stakeholders.

In line with the spirit of South-South cooperation, UNDP Philippines and UNDP Cambodia facilitated a series of impactful meetings, knowledge exchanges and discussions on the topic of gender-responsive budgeting. 

Over the course of three days, the government officials engaged with key institutions involved in implementing GRB in the Philippines. Through frank discussions with their counterparts in the Philippines, the delegation from Cambodia sought to understand how legislation, gender mainstreaming mechanisms, policies and capacity development initiatives support the GRB system of the Philippines.

To kick-off the study visit, the delegation met with the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW). The delegates learned about the history of GRB in the Philippines and the various policies and tools used to analyze, implement and monitor investments in gender equality. 

In the Philippines, each agency or ministry is legally required to allocate at minimum 5% of its annual budget towards initiatives that support gender equality. Other meetings showed how many a broad range of institutions can come together to support GRB, including the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Commission on Audit (COA), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

In addition, through a visit to a Women and Children Protection Unit and a half-way house for survivors of gender-based violence in Quezon City, the Cambodian delegation witnessed first-hand how investments in gender equality make a real impact on the lives of communities, especially women. 

In her message, UNDP Resident Representative in Cambodia Ms. Alissar Chaker said that “UNDP is committed to supporting Cambodia in addressing gender inequality through the implementation of Gender-Responsive Budgeting.” 

“The Philippines was chosen as the destination for the study visit for its long-standing implementation of GRB, known locally as Gender and Development Planning and Budgeting, since 1995. This is enshrined in the Magna Carta of Women Act of 2009, as well as the implementation of guidelines and tools on GRB at both the national and local levels,” Ms. Chaker noted.

Dr. Selva Ramachandran, UNDP Resident Representative in the Philippines highlighted that the study visit has been packed to the brim with insights and experiences that he hopes “will light a spark among the delegation to turn challenges related to GRB implementation into opportunities” upon their return to Cambodia.

In turn, H.E. Minister Dr. Ing Kantha Phavi showed support and willingness to move forward on GRB in Cambodia. She said that as they were “informed by the insights and lessons from the Philippines’ experience, the Royal Government of Cambodia, with support from UNDP Cambodia, will move forward in supporting the implementation of a long-term GRB system in Cambodia. Led by MoWA and GSC-MEF, GRB can become an integral part of Public Financial Management in Cambodia.”

This important mission would not have been possible without the support of the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s General Secretariat of Public Financial Management Reform Steering Committee (GSC). With support and technical assistance from UNDP Cambodia, the MoWA and the MEF are working together to integrate GRB into Public Financial Management reform. [E]