Gender Responsive Budgeting, Climate Budget Coding and Safeguarding

Organisers: ICIMOD and Startup Nation 2030 consortium

Agenda

About the event

The Lower Koshi Basin in Nepal is home to almost 8 million people and is regarded as highly vulnerable river basin in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region, because of its susceptibility to several hazards and effects of climate change. The region faces the dual challenge of too much too little (TMTL) water, often leading to destructive water induced hazards like floods as well as shortage of water for essential needs in specific parts of the region. The risks of TMTL are exacerbated by escalating impacts of climate change, environmental degradation and socio-economic disparities, which disproportionately affect women, people with disabilities and vulnerable communities. The high degree of dependence on agriculture in increasingly risk-prone areas further compounds the challenges on the marginalised communities and intensifies their vulnerability.

To address the presenting issues, ICIMOD initiated the “Building capabilities for green, climate resilient, and inclusive development (HI-GRID) project. The HI-GRID project has committed to implement Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) inclusive Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) in ten municipalities within the end of its tenure in 2026. The ten municipalities have been chosen from an initial selection of twenty-eight municipalities.

As a part of the initiative, ICIMOD’s Strategic Group 1: Reducing Climate and Environmental Risks’ Action Area A: Managing Cryosphere and Water Risks, jointly with its partners Community Development & Advocacy Forum Nepal (CDAFN), HUSADEC Nepal, Mandwi, and Sabal Nepal, is organising a four-day training on Gender Responsive Budget, Climate Budget Coding and Safeguarding training from 9th to 13th of September 2024.

Since its inception in 2023, the HI-GRID project has provided local government leaders including mayors, deputy mayors, and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) focal points of the twenty-eight municipalities with foundational knowledge on mainstreaming GEDSI through GRB trainings. It has also conducted targeted trainings on GESI assessment for deputy mayors, vice chairs, chiefs, social development section coordinators, social development committee members, and GESI focal persons of the shortlisted eleven municipalities to enhance their understanding of the significance and implementation steps of GEDSI within their governance frameworks.

As a next step, this training will provide hands-on experience with SuTRA (Sub-National Treasury Regulatory Application), a Nepal government mandated software for planning, budgeting, and accounting . The training aims to help municipal officials apply their knowledge within the financial management system effectively.

Participants

The training will equip local government finance officers with technical skills in budgeting, accounting, and reporting, while also training GESI and DRR focal points to integrate GEDSI considerations into budgetary processes.

Objectives

The key objective of the training is to enhance understanding of the municipal officers on GRB and Climate Coding in SuTRA. The main objectives are:

• To provide practical sessions on SuTRA coding and integrating GEDSI activities in SuTRA
• To strengthen local governance capacity to mainstream GEDSI responsive policies.
• To ensure development of Code of Conduct (CoC) for partners on Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH)

Expected Outcomes

• The participants will have enhanced practical skills in using SuTRA software, especially for GRB and Climate Budgeting with GEDSI considerations.
• A CoC for partners on Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH) will be created.