Definition of a Budget

1. The Role of Parliament Portfolio Committees & other organs in budgeting for GBV Prevention and Responses. Workshop to Discuss Advocacy Strategies for Financing Interventions to Address Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Uganda for Health Sector: Rider Hotel, Seeta. 11th, Nov, 09 By Ashaba Hannington, Senior Economist: Parliamentary Budget Office, Parliament of Uganda.

2. Definition of a Budget • A budget - a financial plan for the coming period, setting out goals with the allocation of resources needed for the achievement of those goals. • The Budget Act,2001 defines the Budget as “the process by which Government sets levels to efficiently collect revenue and allocate the spending of resources among all sectors to meet national objectives”. • The national budget allocates resources, distributes wealth and income, and stabilizes the economy.

3. Elements of Gender and Equity Issues Budgets are core instruments of policy definition &/or reflecting priorities, The same policies and expenditures can have diff. effects on men,women,PWDs,ethenic minorities, youth, children, regions, religions, b’se of social cultural, structural and other vulnerabilities, therefore, policy and budgetary allocations can be better designed to achieve outcomes which equitably benefit all members of society irrespective,

4. Medium term Sectoral Budget shares

5. Macro economy and the Budget

6. The Laws Regulating the Budget process • The 1995 constitution as Amended in 2006, • Public Finance and accountability Act,2003, • Audit Act,2008, • Budget Act,2001, • Others included:-AA,PPDAA,FA etc.

7. Practical Techniques for Identifying Gender & Equity Issues for Parliament • Analyzing past gender and equity budgeting experiences, • Need for Gender disaggregated data:- identifying gender/equity issues requires data disaggregated by sex,age,class or region to assess: • Inputs (budget or staff allocations required) • Activities (services planned and delivered) • Outputs ( utilization of activities, beneficiaries) • Outcomes (actual achievements such as increased health, literacy, incomes) • Logic of step by step procedure in identification of a gender and equity issue,

8. How to identify Gender and equity issues for Parliament • A good way to start is by identifying a key gender and equity problem/issue:- e.g. high incidences of sickness for females compared to males, • Justifying why the problem/issue is a hindrance:-individual impacts, hh impacts, economy wide impacts, • How the problem/issue could be addressed:-address hh budget and time constraints, • Work on monitoring Indicators.

9. Looking at things with a Gender Lens

10. Steps in identifying a gender and equity issue for Committees of Parliament • Four step procedure; 1. Review and analyze existing data, • Possible sources of info. • Household survey data, • Sector reports, Joint sector reviews • Research/study reports, • MPs,

11. Examples of gender & equity issues Under Health • High incidences of sickness for females compared to males ( women btn the ages of 18 & 64 were sick 32% more often than men in the same age group, • Inadequate staffing: ratio of Doctors to patients continues to be very low at 1:500 and is even worse esp. in the rural areas. • More females working as lower Nursing Assistants, • Shortage of drugs and other medical supplies esp. In government health units- affect the poor and vulnerable more. • Gender issues at household level- women’s lack of control over cash limits their consumption of health services. • Hard to reach areas affected most.

12. Steps contn. • Identify the causes of the problem-identify as many as possible:- -Basing on the incidences established in step 1: review the area of concern to your sector, -This will provide you with the basis for zeroing on the gender and equity issues to present to MPS; • Identified gaps- incentive problem for health practioners, inadequate staffing, budget and time constraints at household level.

13. Steps contn. 3. Describe the consequences of the identified issue for the sector outcomes, e.g. lack of availability of qualified human resources and medicine undermines the quality of care, High disease incidence- increased death rates etc,

14. Steps contn. • Suggest possible solns/interventions-also determine who is responsible , • Eliminate key gender and regional-related barriers in access to Medicare.-financial & time constraints, address problems of hard to reach areas, • Gender awareness, demystifying the budget and building initial budget and economic literacy of various cadres in the sector, stakeholders. • Increase activities aimed at reducing GBV esp. in rural areas- not just through films, but also thru expenditure on counseling and outreach, • Address poor representation of women in positions of decision-making in the health sector, • Address accessibility to drugs- esp. for the poor and vulnerable, • Re-orient expenditure in the sector.

15. Delivery mechanisms for Influencing Parliament • Parliamentary Committees:- Gender, Lbr and Social Dvpt, Budget, Social services, • Use of parliamentary staff- researchers, Budget office, legal department, clerks, • Public hearings and field visits for MPs, • Submission of reports, petitions, memoranda, • Use of media e.g. talk shows, radios, TVs, newspapers, internet etc, • Public Seminars and workshops, • Parliamentary foras- UWOPA, • Use of influential Personalities in Parliament- eg the Deputy Speaker& current chair: Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Africa Region

16. Key entry points in the Budget process for the Health Sector • The National Budget Framework workshops-around mid-November, • The Sector working Group (SWG) discussions- meet up to end of December, • CSO’s forum around mid-December, • Three years macro economic plan and programs and the preliminary estimates –not later than the 1st day of April, • The MPs –by the 30th day of June.

17. May 15 April 1 June 15 The Consultative Budget Process Parliament Submission of Indicative Plan/MTEF Budget Speech Cabinet Approval of BFP/MTEF Final Budget Approval Cabinet National Budget Workshop Indicative Sector Ceilings Budget & SWG Guidelines Compilation of National BFP And Updated MTEF Finalisation of Budget Allocations/MTEF MFPED PER Inter-ministerial Consultations Preparation of Sector BFP and Revised MTEF Allocations within the Ceiling Preparation of Detailed Budget Estimates Line Ministries/ Spending Agencies/ SWGs/Donors Apr - June Oct - Dec Jan - Mar

18. Functions of Committees For this purpose, we shall deal with committees concerned with the budget. The Budget Committee deals with; • Focusing on the preliminary estimates and the macroeconomic plan and programs and submitting the recommendations to the speaker, • Considering the National Budget and compiling amendments and referring them to relevant committees, • Carrying on such other functions relating to the Budget as may be assigned to it by Parliament under the Budget Act or other laws.

19. Functions of Committees (contd) • Sessional Committees deal with:- • Examine policy matters of their ministries or agencies • Initiate or evaluate action programs of their ministries or Agencies and make appropriate recommendations, • Examine Gvt recurrent and capital Budgets prior to consideration by the House, • Monitor performance of Ministries and Departments, • Ensure Government compliance with approved plans and programs.

20. The Role of Parliamentary Staff • Simplify and summarise complex docs, • Identify and flag issues for consideration, • Prepare work plans for members and committees, • Introduce areas for members attention, • Draft appropriate reports for consideration for members.

21. Working with Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) • PBO is mandated to provide Parliament and its Committees with objective, independent and timely analysis of the national budget and the economy, • PBO consists of economists- each attached to a committee, • Provide policy briefs on the performance of the budget and the economy, • Simplify budget information for Members of Parliament, • Sectors could collaborate with this department on matters of budgeting and follow up.

22. Conclusion • Prioritising Budgetary Resources for GBV can be very complex, b’se of it’s multi sectoral nature, • However working closely with other stakeholders esp. Parliament can help mitigate most of the challenges, • Also GBV requires a multi-sectoral response from the 3 sectors, perhaps we could also recommend joint programming and budgeting?

24. Thank U for listening to me