Management Response

: Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of
: 2022 - 2023 , Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of (PP)
: Final Evaluation of the Project “Promoting Gender Responsive Policy Making and Budgeting: Towards Transparent, Inclusive and Accountable Governance in North Macedonia”
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: Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of
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The final evaluation of the Project “Promoting Gender Responsive Policies and Budgets: Towards Transparent, Inclusive and Accountable Governance in Republic of North of Macedonia (2018 - 2022)” implemented by UN Women Programme Office in North Macedonia provided good assessment of the progress made by UN Women and its partners. The report presents important findings, lessons learned, conclusions and recommendations which will support UN Women to design new GRB interventions that will strengthen the Government in North Macedonia in its commitments for advancing gender equality in the country. The report provides a useful overview of the programmatic progress and performance of the interventions from the perspective of their relevance, effectiveness, impact, organizational efficiency, and sustainability. Furthermore, the findings and conclusions from this evaluation were systematically used to design the next programatic interventions, providing in-depth orientation on proven practices, challenges and lessons learned and reasserting the necessity for upscaling the work in specific areas. The evaluation findings show that the design of the interventions and its results were of highest relevance to the needs and priorities of the beneficiaries. They represent an adequate response to the need to improve the lives of women, and men, including vulnerable groups. They are fully in line with legal, policy and institutional priorities and commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment at national and local level. The evaluation provides concrete recommendations for continued provision of expertise and technical support to further strengthen the normative framework for Gender Responsive Budgeting at all levels in line with the Public Finance Management reform and highlights the importance of enhancing existing and developing new partnerships and alliances to ensure synergy of various efforts to direct financial flows towards GEWE priorities. One of the lessons learned strongly emphasizes the need for further capacity strengthening of stakeholders at national and local level and the need for strengthened oversight, CSOs’ advocacy and expanding outreach to more diverse groups of vulnerable women at grassroot level.

: Approved
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 1: Contribute with expertise and other means to further developments of normative framework for systematic implementation of GRB, and at all levels in line with PFM reform.
Management Response: The Evaluation recommendation is timely and relevant as it directly relates to UN Women future strategic focus on the normative work for advancing gender equality and implementation of GRB, at all levels of Governance. UN Women will continue supporting interventions for mainstreaming gender perspective in the public financial management system in the country as well as supporting the line ministries, the National Gender Mechanisms and LSGUs in increasing their capacities to apply GRB in the national and local policy making and budgeting processes. More specifically, the gender equality commitments set under the new Organic Budget Law and the expected introduction of gender tagging in the new Integrated Financial Management Information System under the new PFM Reform (2022-2025), represents opportunity in institutionalizing GRB in the country’s budgetary framework. As such, the expected implementation of the new Organic Budget Law will allow for mainstreaming gender in the secondary legislation and the rules and procedures of the public financial management system. Moreover, the implementation of the engendered organic budget law, is expected to influence the budget planning and implementation process of local self-government units. As such, local self-government units, will be supported towards effective application of gender responsive budgeting in the local policymaking and budgeting processes.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Oversight/governance, Capacity development, National ownership, Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities: Normative Support
UNEG Criteria: Relevance
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women will provide technical and expert support towards operationalization of new legal and strategic obligations on GRB, in line with the PFM strategy 2022-2025. UN Women North Macedonia CO 2027/01 Not Initiated
Contribute to the development of key strategic and operational documents on GEWE, including the revision of the existing Government Methodology on GRB and development of National Action Plan on GE. UN Women North Macedonia CO 2027/01 Initiated
Facilitate broad consultations and take part on working groups, provide inputs and technical support to lead institutions/ministries in charge of normative adjustments on Gender Equality and GRB. UN Women North Macedonia CO 2027/01 Not Initiated
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 2 Enhance existing and develop new partnerships and alliances in order to contribute to the synergy in various efforts to effectively implement GRB and direct financial flows to the GEEW priorities in line with authentic needs of women
Management Response: UN Women will continue to enhance the existing partnerships and alliances with other development partners/international organizations to enable a more unified approach and synergy in promoting and advancing gender equality in the country. UN Women will maintain the joint collaborative efforts with Ministry of Finance and create synergy with other ongoing programmes implemented in support of the Public Financial Management Reform thus enabling effective implementation of GRB in accordance with the new Organic Budget Law.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development, Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Relevance
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women will expand partnerships and involve other development partners/international organizations in relevant research, analyses and knowledge products on GEEW and GRB. UN Women North Macedonia CO 2027/01 Not Initiated
UN Women will initiate regional exchange of best practices on GRB with other development partners where various GRB initiatives will be promoted thus stimulating synergies and potential partnerships. UN Women North Macedonia CO 2027/04 Initiated
UN Women will continue taking an active role in UNSDCF Outcome Groups to ensure effective coordination and information sharing between UN agencies thus ensuring synergy and joint efforts in supporting the Ministry of Finance in its implementation of the Public Financial Reform Programme (2022-2025). UN Women North Macedonia CO 2027/04 Ongoing
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 3 Support further stakeholders in their capacities to implement fully GRB at national and local level by providing expertise and adequate resources
Management Response: UN Women will work on developing systematic capacity development strategies, though capacity development interventions targeting national and local level officials. To ensure that training is systematically embedded in the continued learning and development of public administration, the Government will be supported to fully operationalize the Resource center on GRB which was launched with support under the project subject to the evaluation, and to systematize it within the Government’s institutional framework. Focus will be placed on development of knowledge products and increasing evidence-based analyses and gender data as means for creating policies that address persisting gender inequalities. Additionally, networking and exchange of practices will be promoted, particularly at local level, to promote inter-municipal cooperation and joint gender responsive initiatives.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women will extend support to the full operationalization of the Resource center on Gender Responsive Policy Making and Budgeting. UN Women North Macedonia, MLSP 2027/01 Ongoing
Work closely with the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy/Department for Equal Opportunities to further strengthen their leadership and mentoring role towards other line ministries with respect to implementation of GRB. UN Women North Macedonia CO MLSP 2027/01 Initiated
Facilitate exchange of good practices among local self-government units and continued mentoring support on the application of Gender responsive Policy Making and Budgeting to local administration. UN Women North Macedonia CO 2027/01 Ongoing
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 4 Maintain and expand processes which are not fully sustainable at this point without further support and are crucial for the needs based and transparent GRB processes, particularly mobilization and coordination of local women and their engagement with local budget planning and execution, as well as budget watchdog initiatives which still need expert support and guidance
Management Response: UN Women will continue to implement proven approaches for empowering women in local communities. Based on lessons learned, UN Women will support CSOs and grassroot women organizations as a proven method to empower women and the most excluded groups to raise their needs, priorities and challenges in the local decision-making processes. In addition, UN Women will facilitate and foster collaboration between CSOs and Local Self-Government Units (LSGUs) in joint initiatives for developing measures that directly contribute to increasing the socio-economic empowerment of women.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind, Advocacy
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
The planned phase 2 of the GRB Project by UN Women will focus on providing support to CSOs in establishing cooperation between LSGUs on integration of socio-economic empowerment of women in local economic development programmes. UN Women North Macedonia CO, CSOs and women's organizations 2027/04 Not Initiated
The planned phase 2 of the GRB Project by UN Women will support CSOs in developing gender research and advocacy initiatives focused on integrating gender-responsive measures in the local economic UN Women North Macedonia CO, CSOs and women's organizations 2027/04 Not Initiated
UN Women will support LSGUs to implement gender responsive participatory mechanisms where women and CSO's actively participate in development of local programmes and budgets. UN Women North Macedonia CO 2027/04 Initiated
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 5 Continue to take care of LNOB expanding outreach to more diverse groups of vulnerable women, increasing importance of disability inclusion in the implementation of outreach activities
Management Response: UN Women will continue to recognize the centrality of the Leave No One Behind (LNOB) principle, foreseeing inclusion of marginalized and excluded groups as a key criterion for the identification and implementation of future programmatic interventions. Disability inclusion will be considered as part of the intersectional approach in outreach and empowerment interventions of CSO partners; however the scope and extent of these interventions will be subject to existing resources and capacities of the programme presence as interventions tailored to address the needs of PwDs require specialized expertise (including at grassroot level) and dedicated resources.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Human Rights, Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Support outreach and empowerment of women in communities, with focus on the most excluded, considering disability inclusion as one of the criteria when opening Calls for Proposals for CSO partners. UN Women North Macedonia CO, CSO Responsible Parties 2027/04 Not Initiated
Facilitate Community of practice on participatory gender budgeting, with focus on participation of women from the most vulnerable/excluded groups. UN Women North Macedonia CO 2027/04 Not Initiated