Auditing SDG 5: Experiences from Western Balkans on increasing accountability toward financing for gender equality

At the 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) side-event, hosted by the State Audit Office of North Macedonia, first-hand experiences of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) from the Western Balkans on mainstreaming gender in the audit processes were shared, showcasing their efforts in improving accountability towards financing gender equality and alleviating poverty and socio-economic exclusion of women and girls. Over the past decade, UN Women has been at the forefront of implementing gender responsive budgeting (GRB) initiatives across countries in the Western Balkans region to incorporate gender considerations into all aspects of budget planning, execution, and evaluation, and institutional capacity building.

The role of SAIs in GRB extends beyond financial oversight to evaluating the effectiveness of programmes aimed at gender equality and poverty reduction as well as ensuring significant impact on improving the lives of women and girls. By conducting thorough audits, SAIs contribute to identifying gaps in financing for gender equality initiatives, fostering more targeted and impactful resource allocation.

During the discussion, the audience was introduced to the impactful work of SAIs showcasing relevant tools and resources on auditing gender equality and the cooperative regional audit focusing on inclusion of rural women in the labour market, supported through the UN Women programme work in the region of Western Balkans. The panellists elaborated on their experiences in leading sub-regional cooperative audits focusing on gender equality and the importance of regional collaboration. The work of INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) and their support to SAIs on auditing SDG5 was showcased through a video message, including an overview of their Equal Futures Audit Changemakers initiative and its current work on a new “Leave no one behind” (LNOB) framework as part of the Agenda 2030. The discussion was joined by the UN Women Office of Independent Evaluation and Audit Services, to share insights on the importance of evaluation and audit and the critical value of gender data for measuring gaps and progress toward achieving gender equality. As a longstanding partner and supporter of GRB efforts across Western Balkans, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency - Sida is greatly thanked for their contribution to this side-event, and for highlighting the importance of synergies and joint efforts of various actors, including governments, CSOs, and oversight institutions, to tackle persisting gender inequalities.