The Training of Local Self-Governments on Gender-Responsive Governance and Budgeting Continues

The training for the implementation of gender-responsive governance in practice has continued with the holding of the second out of four planned training sessions intended for 16 local self-governments within the Programme "PRO - Local Governance for People and Nature," supported by the Government of Switzerland.

Gender stereotypes, gender analysis, gender-responsive budgeting are topics that remain important, and as time passes, they will become increasingly significant for the work of local governments, as well as for society as a whole, according to Marija Andjelkovic from the municipality of Bela Palanka.

"The training was inspiring; I learned many new things and was able to see them from a different perspective. The work is well-organized, the lecturers are engaging, and I am glad that colleagues from other municipalities are willing to participate, which is beneficial for such workshops," highlighted Andjelkovic.

Mirjana Prodanović, from the City Administration of Kraljevo, also believes that topics such as gender equality and the integration of the gender aspect into the process of adopting local documents and public policies are crucial for local self-governments.

"Everything we heard at the training is very important for us. It is a great pleasure to participate in these workshops because we always bring back to our local self-government some additional knowledge and new skills that help us in our daily work and important processes," stated Prodanović.

The training also received contributions from the Office of the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, with a presentation on protection against discrimination delivered by the assistant commissioner Tatjana Jokanović. Representatives from the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans, and Social Affairs also participated.

The significance of the training, the quality of the lecturers, and particularly the contribution to the discussion made by the representative of the Commissioner and representatives of other national institutions were emphasized by Jasmina Trifunovic from the Municipality of Vrnjacka Banja.

"The municipality will implement everything we learned in these trainings because what we learn here as individuals, we later transmit to our colleagues, thereby strengthening the capacities of the entire local self-government. It is very important for us to hear not only theoretical knowledge but also the examples of good and bad practices, to know how to react in similar situations," Trifunovic assessed.

With the support of the program, the implementation of gender-responsive governance and budgeting will be enhanced in the following local self-governments: Babusnica, Bela Palanka, Vrnjacka Banja, Dimitrovgrad, Zajecar, Knic, Kragujevac, Kraljevo, Krusevac, Ljubovija, Nova Varoš, Pirot, Raska, Sokobanja, Topola, and Cuprija.

The training is part of the support provided by the Programme to local self-governments aimed at empowering local decision-makers to develop and support the implementation of gender-sensitive policies at the local level. This will be achieved through a comprehensive training program covering topics related to gender mainstreaming in public affairs, budgeting, public sector management, creation of public policies in social welfare, environmental protection, climate change, as well as inclusive provision of public services.

The Programme "PRO - Local Governance for People and Nature" is jointly implemented by the United Nations agencies in Serbia - UNOPS, UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNEP, in cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Serbia and with the financial support of the Government of Switzerland.