[women-rights] New publication: Monitoring Government Budgets for Compliance with CEDAW

Budgeting for Women's Rights 

Monitoring Government Budgets for Compliance with CEDAW 
Diane Elson 

People's access to services and resources are largely determined by
government budget policies. Gender budget initiatives around the world
have attempted to systematically examine how government budgets address
discrimination with regard to women's access to housing, employment,
health, education, and other services. Often these exercises have been
eye-openers: a budget analysis of domestic violence policies and laws in
seven countries in Latin America, for example, revealed that
appropriations for domestic violence programmes and interventions were
non-existent in all cases. Similar evidence of gender discrimination is
found when examining taxation policies.

This publication adds a landmark to the discourse on the link between
human rights standards and government budgets. It elaborates on how
budgets and budget policy-making processes can be monitored for compliance
with human rights standards, in particular with the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Combining substantive analysis with country examples, the publication
explores how a rights-based budget analysis can be applied to public
expenditure, public revenue, macroeconomics of the budget, and budget
decision-making. In the context of discussions on aid effectiveness,
direct budget support, and accountability Budgeting for Women's Rights is
of particular relevance.

2006. ISBN 1-932827-47-1. 171 pages. WE751. $15.00

Visit Women Ink.'s website at www.womenink.org for further information and
to buy the reviewed title.