Ensure gender-responsive budgeting, accountability

Ahead of the national budget for FY2026–27, policy experts and rights activists at a dialogue yesterday called for an urgent overhaul of funding mechanisms to combat violence against women.

They demanded expansion of One-Stop Crisis Centres (OCC), scaling up of mental health support services, and introduction of dedicated local government allocations aimed at preventing gender-based violence at the grassroots level.

Speakers also expressed concern that despite the institutionalisation of gender budgeting across 44 ministries, allocations have steadily declined from 5.7 percent to 4.2 percent of GDP over the past five fiscal years, weakening institutional capacity and legal support services.

The event, titled “Fund Our Future Now: A People-Centred Budget for Women, Youth and Climate Justice”, was organised by ActionAid Bangladesh at the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka. Economists, researchers, climate experts, policymakers and representatives of marginalised communities participated in the discussion.

ActionAid Bangladesh presented a data-driven analysis of national budgets from FY2021–22 to FY2025–26, showcasing that although the overall budget size has increased steadily, allocations for sectors critical to sustainable development — including education, health and gender-responsive budgeting — have remained stagnant relative to actual needs.

Dhaka University professor and economist Sayema Haque Bidisha said a significant portion of allocations is often absorbed at administrative levels rather than translating into safer public transport or recognition of unpaid care work.

DU associate professor Taslima Yasmin called for explicit recognition of gender-based violence within development budgeting and strategic allocations for vulnerable communities.

The review also showed that education sector allocations declined from 2.08 percent to 1.72 percent of GDP over the past five fiscal years.

Moreover, despite Bangladesh’s climate vulnerability only 2.89 percent of the Annual Development Programme’s allocation has been directed towards renewable energy, leaving major financing gaps in the National Adaptation Plan.

DU professor Samina Luthfa warned that declining gender budget allocations could jeopardise women’s access to education and healthcare.

Jahangirnagar University professor Sharmind Neelormi said issues concerning women, youth and climate could not be treated separately.

She also warned that debt-driven development would not remain sustainable in the long term.

Climate finance expert Ahsan Uddin Ahmed said although nearly 25 ministries have been involved in climate-related activities over the past decade, average implementation capacity remains only 7 percent.

He called for stronger monitoring systems and accountability mechanisms to reduce climate risks.

Farah Kabir, country director of ActionAid Bangladesh, said in her welcome remarks that the national budget is one of the state’s most important instruments for improving the lives of marginalised women, young people, and communities vulnerable to climate change.

“We already have an institutional framework for gender-responsive budgeting, but its quality implementation must now be ensured to establish clear financing targets and effectively address the root causes of social inequality, so that the benefits of overall economic growth reach everyone equitably,” she added.

Responding to the findings, government representatives said the FY2026–27 budget presents an opportunity to translate electoral commitments into action and rebuild public trust.

Dr Saimum Parvez, special assistant to the prime minister on environment, forestry and climate change, called for a people-centric policymaking approach prioritising climate finance, debt management and international funding.

He said new initiatives in e-waste management and potential carbon trading opportunities worth nearly US$1 billion were underway.

Md Golam Mosaddeque, additional secretary of the Planning Division, said climate justice considerations had already been incorporated into 15 sectors, while a fully digital real-time dashboard had been introduced to strengthen transparency.

Policy recommendations made for the upcoming budget include: increasing education sector allocations to 3 percent of GDP by 2028, raising women’s participation in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to 40 percent by 2030 through a dedicated Women Entrepreneurs Fund, publishing a Youth Budget Statement, expanding the Youth Entrepreneurship Fund to Tk 600 crore for youths from coastal regions and for those in digital sectors, creating dedicated budget codes for climate loss and damage, and ensuring direct transfer mechanisms for climate funds to vulnerable communities.