A gender-blind approach to the national budget generates an incomplete picture of its impact on all sectors of the population, may disadvantage women and ultimately hinders policy effectiveness. These are just a few of the questions to be addressed at the seminar organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union on Parliament and the budgetary process, including from a gender perspective, which will be held at the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG) from today until 21 September 2007.

One of the key roles of parliament is to question and oversee the implementation of the national budget. Open to members of parliament, parliamentary staff and experts, the seminar will focus on ways of ensuring effective parliamentary oversight of the budget: how it is prepared, how it operates, how to secure proper parliamentary reading and analysis, and how the national audit functions.

The seminar proceedings will aim to include a gender perspective throughout the three-day debates and will also aim to take stock of country initiatives taken in this field. Its objective is to contribute to a better functioning of parliaments in the European and Central Asian region so that these parliaments can in turn participate more effectively in the enhancement of democracy and good governance as the foundations of development.

This seminar is the seventh in a series of regional meetings for parliamentarians, which aim to strengthen parliaments' capacity to contribute effectively to the budgetary process, with a specific focus on gender. The previous regional seminars took place in Kenya (2000), Mali (2001), Philippines (2002), Sri Lanka (2003), Lebanon (2004), and El Salvador (2005).

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Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the IPU, the oldest multilateral political organisation, currently brings together 147 affiliated parliaments and seven regional assemblies as associate members. The world organisation of parliaments has an Office in New York, which acts as its Permanent Observer at the United Nations.
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Contact for additional information or interviews:

Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer 5, ch. du Pommier, CH - 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex / Geneva Phone: +41 22 919 41 16 Fax: +41 22 919 41 60 E-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cbl@mail.ipu.org Ms. Kareen Jabre, IPU Programme for the Promotion of Partnership between Men and Women 5, ch. du Pommier, CH - 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex / Geneva Phone: +41 22 919 41 25 E-mail: kj@mail.ipu.org