Revised State budget law should entail gender equality
Experts suggested integrating gender equality into the development and enforcement of the revised Law on State Budget at a forum held in Hanoi on January 27.
They said the 2013 Constitution and the 2006 Law on Gender Equality both stipulated bringing gender-responsive budgeting into the amended law.
Financial resources, from the State budget and otherwise, are essential to promoting the equal rights of women and children, they added.
A clear gender budget with specific principles will help promote gender equality activities in Vietnam and ensure effective implementation of the national strategy and programme on gender equity.
The National Assembly Committee for Financial and Budgetary Affairs is studying the application of successful international practices in the realm, said deputy head Dinh Van Nha.
He described gender equality as the foundation to building budget estimates and defining spending demands on the field.
The draft Law on State Budget should be adjusted in the spirit of the 2013 Constitution and supplemental contents which highlight the necessity of human and financial resources to enact gender equality measures.
Experts also recommended building a monitoring mechanism to ensure the State budget is managed in a transparent, public and equitable fashion.
They suggested increasing the involvement of residents at the local level in the development, allocation and examination of the local budget while raising gender equality awareness among officials.
The draft law should also be constructed and implemented on the basis of human rights and commitments to promoting gender equality, as opposed to “priority” mechanisms, they commented.