Timeline of Key Gender Responsive Budgeting Milestones in Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste’s commitment to achieving gender equality is reflected in its National Constitution and through the adoption of important legal and normative frameworks as a foundation to accelerate gender equality and women’s empowerment. 

Since 2010, gender responsive budgeting (GRB) has been applied as a strategic policy approach to integrate gender perspectives into planning and budgeting processes. GRB refers to the process of conceiving, planning, allocating and executing resources, monitoring, analyzing and auditing budgets in a gender-responsive way. It involves analysis of actual Government allocations and expenditures on women and girls as compared to those on men and boys by integrating gender analysis into planning and budgeting processes. 

This can ensure the state’s national and international commitments on gender equality are translated into action and does not mean splitting the budget 50 per cent on women or solely increasing spending on programmes that target women’s issues. A gender responsive budget ensures that the needs and interests of individuals with diverse identities (considering gender, age, abilities, geographic location, income, etc.) are addressed in expenditure and revenue policies.