Gender responsive budgeting and its implementation in sectoral policies and programs

The goals of the program are for the participants to gain knowledge about basic concepts of gender equality, to recognize the differences in positions of power in society that are a condition for gender discrimination in order to be able to meet the needs of men when creating strategic documents and public policies. and women equally and advocate for their adoption and implementation.

To get acquainted with the concept of gender analysis and the benefits of applying gender analysis

Understand the key issues and steps for conducting a gender analysis

Identify key issues and gender aspects by sectors

Understand the importance of regulatory impact assessment in the process of developing better gender responsive policies

Gain knowledge of gender statistics and identify relevant sources of gender statistics

To get acquainted with the importance of monitoring and evaluation systems

To get acquainted with the concept of gender responsive budget reports and their content

The Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth in cooperation with the OSCE Mission continued with the Mentoring Program "Women for Women" to encourage the professional development and leadership of women in the public sector, intended for women in full-time employment in the ministry.
The mentoring program aims to increase the opportunities for personal and professional development of women employed in the public sector by creating a concept of mutual support and strengthening, sharing knowledge and experiences, as well as strengthening solidarity and networking between women.
The first training cycle began to be implemented from September to December 2024 and it was held a two-day training on September 4-5 for female mentors, and then on September 25-26 a two-day training for mentors and building the mentor-mentee relationship.
On September 26, in the premises of the Resource Center for Gender Responsive Policymaking and Budgeting, the first meeting of the mentors with the mentees took place, and thus the first meeting with the aim of getting to know each other and setting goals and a plan for joint work for this cycle, which will last three months. .
This is the first cycle of the Mentoring Program which will continue from January 2025 through the implementation of 2 training cycles, and its taking will further be an integral part of the training modules in the Resource Center of the ministry in order to sustain the program.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy organizes trainings that are part of the project activities within the project "Strengthening the rule of law and human rights in North Macedonia", which is financially supported by the OSCE Mission in Skopje.

The training is intended for administrative officers and clerical employees in the local self-government bodies, while the purpose of the training is to increase knowledge in relation to discrimination and equality, to strengthen the capacities of the employed officers in relation to the principles of non-discrimination, protection mechanisms , the competent institutions and the relevant domestic legal framework and international documents.

This training is part of a series of our trainings that were held in Skopje, Berovo, Ohrid and Dojran with participants from the municipalities in the region, while on September 23 and 24 the training was held in the premises of the Resource Center for gender-responsive policy making and budgeting.

The training should provide an understanding of gender concepts and the meaning of gender-responsive budgeting, as well as specialized methods and tools for gender-responsive budgeting, including tools for gender analysis.

Discussion on the selection of programs that will be subject to gender analysis and preparation of Gender Budget Statements, but also on the challenges in including a gender perspective in programs and budgets.

To provide participants with the theory, skills and tools to develop and implemnet effective training programme on gender responsive budgeting.

The aim of this workshop is to present two key things: a gender analysis that assesses the legal frameworks, policies and initiatives of North Macedonia from a gender perspective, including those related to the competitiveness and innovation sector, and points out the most important constraints and enabling factors for promoting gender equality and empowering women in this sector. It also provides an overview of the current gaps, barriers and challenges for female entrepreneurship, as well as integrating a gender perspective in the preparation of public policies/strategies, as well as the work and role of the sectoral working group. Also, at this workshop, participants had the opportunity to understand the Guide for Mainstreaming Gender in the Competitiveness and Innovation Sector, which explains in detail all the steps and processes from identification to monitoring for integrating a gender perspective into processes and incorporating it into national policies for this sector.

The aim of the programme is for the participants to acquire the basic concepts of gender equality and to recognize the social disparities that exist in the society, which are a condition for gender discrimination.

Mentoring program "Women for women"

The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, Demography and Youth, in cooperation with the OSCE Mission, continued with the Mentoring Program "Women for Women" to encourage the professional development and leadership of women in the public sector, intended for women in regular employment in the ministry.

The aim of this workshop was to gain an understanding of the indicators from the Gender Equality Profile developed by UN Women and to gain knowledge about the EU GAP 3 I and their indicators, which are key for integrating a gender perspective into national institutions, existing gender institutional mechanisms and EU policies, programmes and projects in the country. The Gender Equality Profile indicators provide a detailed assessment of the key challenges for gender equality in the context of sustainable development in North Macedonia, identifying gender inequalities in the enjoyment of social and economic rights, cultural and political rights and analysing the main causes of the identified challenges. Participants had the opportunity to understand the indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while taking into account the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) frameworks.

Target group: representatives from state agencies and agencies implementing EU projects

The aim of this workshop is to present two key issues: A gender analysis that assesses the legal frameworks, policies and initiatives of North Macedonia from a gender perspective, including those related to the justice sector, and points out the most important constraints and enabling factors for promoting gender equality and women's empowerment in this sector. It also provides an overview of the current gaps, barriers and challenges in the judiciary, the measures offered through the free legal aid system, as well as the integration of a gender perspective in the preparation of public policies/strategies, as well as the work and role of the sectoral working group. Also, at this workshop, participants had the opportunity to understand the Guide for Mainstreaming a Gender Perspective in the Justice Sector, which explains in detail all the steps and processes from identification to monitoring for integrating a gender perspective into processes and incorporating it into national policies for this sector.

Discussion on the preparation of the Gender Budget Report for 2024, as well as the challenges in including a gender perspective in programs and budgets.

The aim of this workshop is to present two key issues: A gender analysis that assesses the legal frameworks, policies and initiatives of North Macedonia from a gender perspective, including those related to the Agriculture and Rural Development sector, and points out the most important constraints and enabling factors for promoting gender equality and women's empowerment in this sector. It also provides an overview of the current gaps, barriers and challenges for women's participation in decision-making, both in the preparation of public policies/strategies, and the work and role of the sectoral working group. Also, at this workshop, participants had the opportunity to understand the Guide for Mainstreaming Gender in the Agriculture and Rural Development Sector, which explains in detail all the steps and processes from identification to monitoring for integrating the gender perspective into the processes and incorporating it into national policies for this sector.

Visit to the Resource Center by cadets of the Military Academy "General Mihailo Apostolski" - Skopje

The aim of this workshop is to present two key issues: a gender analysis that assesses the legal frameworks, policies and initiatives of North Macedonia from a gender perspective, including those related to the education, employment and social policy sectors, and points out the most important constraints and enabling factors for promoting gender equality and women's empowerment in this sector. It also provides an overview of the current gaps, barriers and challenges in education, the measures implemented by the Employment Agency, as well as the integration of the gender perspective in the preparation of public policies/strategies, as well as the work and role of the sectoral working group. Also, at this workshop, the participants had the opportunity to understand the Guide for integrating the gender perspective in the health sector, which explains in detail all the steps and processes from identification to monitoring for integrating the gender perspective in the processes and introducing it into national policies for this sector.

The goal is to upgrade the knowledge and skills of trainers and trainers for non-discrimination and the duty to promote the equality of employees in the public sector.

The aim of this workshop was to gain an understanding of the indicators from the Gender Equality Profile developed by UN Women and to gain knowledge about the EU GAP 3 I and their indicators, which are key for integrating a gender perspective into national institutions, existing gender institutional mechanisms and EU policies, programmes and projects in the country. The Gender Equality Profile indicators provide a detailed assessment of the key challenges for gender equality in the context of sustainable development in North Macedonia, identifying gender inequalities in the enjoyment of social and economic rights, cultural and political rights and analysing the main causes of the identified challenges. Participants had the opportunity to understand the indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while taking into account the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) frameworks.

Target group: representatives from public institutions, commissions and state-owned enterprises

The aim of this workshop was to gain an understanding of the indicators from the Gender Equality Profile developed by UN Women and to gain knowledge about the EU GAP 3 I and their indicators, which are key for integrating a gender perspective into national institutions, existing gender institutional mechanisms and EU policies, programmes and projects in the country. The Gender Equality Profile indicators provide a detailed assessment of the key challenges for gender equality in the context of sustainable development in North Macedonia, identifying gender inequalities in the enjoyment of social and economic rights, cultural and political rights and analysing the main causes of the identified challenges. Participants had the opportunity to understand the indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while taking into account the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) frameworks.

Target group: representatives from the civil society sector.