Budget not just about allocation, expenditure, but how money makes an impact, said Environment Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury.
He said this while speaking as the chief guest at a multi-stakeholder consultation on “Gender-Responsive Climate Financing in Bangladesh” held in the capital on Wednesday, according to a press release.
UN Women organized the programme.
The event, aligned with this year's IWD theme "Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress," convened a diverse group, including government officials, women's rights organizations (WROs), NGOs, development partners, and academia.
The primary goal was to formulate policy and budgetary recommendations that integrate gender equality considerations, specifically in anticipation of the upcoming national budget for the fiscal year 2024-25.
In his address, the environment minister said, “Gender equality is a fundamental prerequisite for building climate resilience and achieving sustainable development. Our policies and strategies, such as the Mujib Climate Prosperity plan, National Adaptation Plan, and National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, reflect our determination to confront the climate crisis head-on.”
“When it comes to budget, we see a lack in statistical and disaggregated data. We have to fill this gap first. This is the first budget of the new government and this year’s budget will set the direction for the forthcoming years. Let us be selective and strategic, in terms of the areas we need to work on. Let us have the building blocks in place, to take this forward in the following financial years,” he added.
Dr Farhina Ahmed, secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, underscored the need for a participatory budget and proposed a climate development partnership to enhance coherence among stakeholders.
Bangladesh, ranking as the seventh most climate-vulnerable nation globally, faces the daunting challenges of extreme weather events such as sea-level rise, storms, floods, and droughts. These adversities exacerbate existing socio-economic vulnerabilities, disproportionately impacting women, girls, and individuals with disabilities, the release said.
Representatives from civil society and women-led organizations emphasized their crucial role in budget-related discussions, calling for enhanced monitoring of budgetary expenditure and its impact. They stressed the necessity of effective coordination to ensure resources reach the most vulnerable groups, including women with disabilities, gender-diverse individuals, and women from marginalized communities.
Dilruba Haider, UN Women Programme Specialist, highlighted challenges such as limited gender-disaggregated data, a lack of alignment between climate and gender-responsive budgeting, and the absence of women in decision-making processes, using UN Women's global feminist climate justice framework as a reference.
UN Women Representative Gitanjali Singh commended Bangladesh's efforts and locally led adaptations by women to climate change. She stressed the importance of integrating women's rights into the economic framework, advocating for policies that address gender disparities, especially in climate financing.