Findings and recommendations from the Latin-American experience

Global Seminar on Costing Experiences and Methodologies for Gender Equality

12 September, 2013Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia

Use of costing results:

What and How is/was carried out?Costing experiences for gender equality in Latin America and the

Caribbean

UNDP and UN Women organized the “Reflection and Exchange of Experiences Workshop on Costing of Social Policies and MDG3 in Latin America and the

Caribbean” in June 2013

In this workshop, gender specialists exchanged experiences and knowledge accumulated in 8 countries of the region, focusing on those policies that directly contribute to the achievement of gender equality and that have a greater potential to have an incidence in fiscal policy.

“Costing of Public Policies that Promote Gender Equality in Latin America and the Caribbean”Recommendations document to promote the development of costing exercises of interventions and policies for gender equality in the Latin American and the Caribbean region.

Result of this exchange

Challenges of costing of gender equality policies in Latin

America and the Caribbean

Challenges in 5 dimensions

En América Latina y el Caribe se han desarrollado numerosas experiencias de costeo de políticas de igualdad.

Desafíos comunes que pueden ser agrupados en 5 dimensiones: política, institucional, técnica, de información y financiera/ presupuestaria

Dimensión PolíticaContar con un marco de política de igualdad de género (Plan

o Estrategia Nacional de Igualdad).

Falta más voluntad y compromiso político al más alto nivel desde los ministerios de economía y finanzas.

Garantizar la sostenibilidad de los procesos para que trasciendan los cambios gubernamentales.

Garantizar la participación sostenida y amplia de las organizaciones de mujeres y mecanismos de igualdad.

Dimensión InstitucionalDebilidades institucionales de los mecanismos de igualdad

Necesidad de mayor sinergia y cooperación interinstitucional entre el mecanismo de igualdad y las instituciones sectoriales.

Limitadas capacidades institucionales y de recursos humanos en temas de género y a su aplicación a la planificación y el costeo.

Procesos de descentralización y territorialidad todavía en construcción.

Limitaciones de los procesos de planificación y presupuesto para tomar en cuenta las desigualdades de género existentes.

Dimensión TécnicaDesarticulación entre las herramientas que se utilizan para

el costeo y las que se utilizan en la planificación y presupuestación.

El desarrollo metodológico de las herramientas de costeo está todavía en construcción y sigue siendo complejo de aplicar para políticas que requieren de intervenciones multisectoriales.

Riesgo de que la dimensión política de la igualdad de género se evapore y que lo político se transforme en algo meramente técnico

Informative DimensionLack of updated information that supports the decision

making process in the design stage of the costing exercise.

Limited availability of data and information systems with indicators and statistics that reflect the current situation of gender gaps in different sectors.

Technical complexity when implementing this multisectoral information systems with disaggregated data.

Financial Dimension

Lack of available information about public resources allocated for gender equality.

Lack of specific and multisectoral resources for the fulfillment of laws and policies that promote gender equality (e.g. Laws against gender related violence, Gender Equality Plans).

Lack of specific mechanisms that guarantee the financing of gender equality policies.

Recommendations to promote the use of costing exercises

What for?a. Achieve greater fundraising to finance social policies and policies that contribute to gender equality (expand the fiscal space).b. To improve the redistributive character and the impact of fiscal policy.c. Achieve a larger allocation of resources towards plans, policies and programs or interventions that contribute to gender equality.d. To improve public administration.

a. Achive greater fundraising capacities social policies as well as policies that contribute to gender equality

(expand the fiscal space)

• Broaden the sources of financing of the public sector.

• Improve tax-raising efficiency.• Improve transparency in taxation.• Review tax-reductions and exonerations.

Improve the redistribution scheme and the impact of fiscal policy

• Analyze gender gaps and the progressive or regressive nature of taxes.

• Review the redistribution scheme of fiscal benefits and existing subsides.

• Analyze the pre-assignations established in incomes and remote its redistribution for more equitable uses.

c. Achieve a larger allocation of resources for plans, policies, programs or interventions that contribute to

gender equality.• Place the issue of gender equality as part of the political

agenda. • Make visible the multidimensional character of gender

inequality and the need of mutisectoral efforts to address them.

• Point out insufficient financing for the implementation of specific laws and policies for gender equality.

• Make the implementation of laws and policies viable trough the incorporation of enough resources to carry them out in the processes of planning and public budgeting.

• Analyze other possible sources of financing and mobilize external support.

d. To improve public administration

• Improve the quality of services and programs as well as the efficiency of public spending.

• Improve and qualify the planning process of instances and systems in charge of planning and budgeting.

• Extend the capacities of public servants.• Strengthen gender equality mechanisms.• Improve information systems and contribute to

consolidate accountability mechanisms.