Title: Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) in Mongolia: Experience and ways forward

Abstract

Gender responsive budgeting (GRB) is good budgeting aiming at mainstreaming gender equality in all stages and documents of the budgeting process and in public finance management. It has gained considerable momentum internationally as well as in Mongolia. Despite a relatively good legal framework for gender equality in Mongolia, certain gender gaps persist. Several GRB pilot initiatives have been implemented at different levels of government over the past 18 years. However, there is a lack of institutional memory of GRB knowledge and experience gained and a lack of awareness about Mongolian experience both at national and international levels. Thus, the research aims to take stock of GRB work in Mongolia, assessing emerging context-specific learnings of GRB pilot initiatives to inform future nationwide scaling-up of GRB and its full implementation. Relevant key informants were surveyed about GRB experience, early results, opportunities, challenges, and lessons learnt by means of a questionnaire. The results indicate a mix of promising findings and challenges. While there is progress in certain areas, such as early results related to pilot projects, identifying opportunities, and creating lessons learnt, there is a large room for further strengthening of Mongolian GRB implementation, among others, by leveraging its advancements, tackling evident shortcomings, establishing favorable conditions, and adopting international standards of GRB. In moving forward, key actors should create a stronger legal basis, a comprehensive action plan with an implementation roadmap, a cross-sectoral coordination mechanism, define clear roles and responsibilities, and invest in focused capacity building, to anchor GRB within public finance management (PFM).