Two-day training sessions on the implementation of gender equality at the local level have been going on in the partner cities of PLEDDG since the beginning of fall. Online sessions have already been held for local self-governments of Vinnytsia, Poltava, Kolomyia, Khmilnyk, Myrhorod, and Melitopol, with Kremenchuk and Pervomaisk next.
The purpose of the trainings is to increase the capacity of local self-governments to take into account the needs of women and men in communities and cities when planning budgets, by increasing theoretical knowledge about gender equality, and consolidating practical skills through analysis of urban programs and case studies.
During the training, participants will learn online about the main documents governing the implementation of gender equality at the local level, and through open discussion and voicing different points of view, they will have the opportunity to develop the most effective measures for their implementation.
According to coach Svitlana Khodakova, Chairperson of the Managing Board of the NGO Open Society and expert on gender issues: “Training participants often note that after conducting a gender budget analysis of a budget program, they begin to perceive the needs of men and women in the city from a different angle, they start to see people behind the figures, their problems, and their needs. Another situation is common among participants who are new to the principles and terminology of gender budgeting, in such cases, the analysis of real-life examples works best and it takes time for people to consider new information and implement a gender approach in their activities.”
Iryna Ivanova, Deputy Head of the Finance Department of the Melitopol City Council, shared her impressions of participating in the training:“Participation in the training provides an opportunity to raise awareness about gender budgeting and its components, which are key aspects in planning budget programs and conducting gender analysis. Together with other participants, I can note the importance of the tools provided by gender analysis: taking into account the gender, age, physiological, geographical, and other characteristics of each person that determine their needs. It is also useful to discuss hands-on tasks, which demonstrate the effectiveness of gender budgeting and its impact on community well-being.” .
During the training, participants get acquainted with the stages of implementation of gender budgeting, namely: gender budget analysis, identification of necessary changes and their implementation, and further monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of the implemented changes. Currently, the greatest interest among the participants of the training was caused by the issues of gender gaps, which are revealed during the analysis of urban programs, as well as the tools for bridging these gaps.
Olena Krasovska, a participant in the training session and head of the Social Protection Division of the Finance Department of the Vinnytsia City Council, shared her experience of gender budget analysis and plans to take into account gender gaps: “The words that scared me at the beginning of the training: “gender budget analysis, gender gaps” became more clear as the training went along. I got interested and wanted to delve into gender budgeting. This is an important achievement for the coaches, to give a direction for development. Currently, in Vinnytsia ATC, with the help of PLEDDG, a pilot project of gender budget analysis of one of the budget programs in the field of “Social Protection and Social Security” is underway. And in 2021, using the experience gained during the pilot, we plan to conduct a gender budget analysis of several budget programs in the fields of “Education”, “Culture”, and “Physical Culture.” .
True equality between women and men in urban development is an important component of participatory governance. The principles of gender equality still remain controversial for a large part of society. Therefore, PLEDDG systematically strives for urban change to be founded on democratic values, equal consideration of the needs of women and men, and lead to economic and social success.
