Poverty Reduction and Economic Management 33170 249 April 2005 Findings reports on ongoing operational, economic, and sector work carried out by the World Bank and its member governments in the Africa Region. It is published periodically by the Knowledge and Learning Center on behalf of the Region. The views expressed in Findings are those of the author/s and should not be attributed to the World Bank Group. Uganda: Integrating Gender into Policy Actions Roy S. Canagarajah The findings of both macro- and Uganda (GOU) has taken the ini- microeconomic analysis of the tiative to examine gender issues links between growth and gender and is taking significant steps to- inequality have shown that large wards redressing gender inequal- gender disparities in basic ity by integrating gender in its re- human rights, resources, eco- form policies and programs. This nomic opportunity, and in politi- note aims to show how GOU is cal voice is directly and indirectly working to move beyond policy dia- limiting growth in sub-Saharan logue to taking concrete actions to Africa, and that women and girls promote gender equality through are bearing the largest and most the use of its policy instruments, direct costs of these inequalities namely the Poverty Reduction (see e.g., Engendering Develop- Strategy Paper ( PRSP ), the bud- ment, World Bank 2001). In get and the Poverty Reduction addition to being a major con- Strategy Credit ( PRSC ). straint to growth, gender inequal- ity reduces the effectiveness of Integrating Gender into the PRSP poverty reduction efforts. There- fore, understanding the nature of Background: The Government of gender disparities and taking the Uganda formulated its develop- necessary actions to redress ment strategy known as the Pov- them will not only promote erty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP) higher growth rates but will also in 1997. Three years later, after a make a substantial contribution more extensive consultation pro- to the reduction of poverty. cess and incorporating new data generated since 1997, the PEAP Because women - particularly was revised in 2000. The sum- poor women - have little or no voice mary of PEAP 2000 was presented in decision-making, their differ- as Uganda's Poverty Reduction ent needs and constraints do not Strategy Paper PRSP. inform public policy choices and priorities. Thus, governments A Demographic Health Survey must take pro-active measures to conducted in 2000/01 showed in- Findings ensure inclusive participation and creasing infant and maternal mor- formulate policies and programs tality rates at a time when income that promote gender equality and poverty was falling in Uganda. Fur- foster more efficient development ther examination of the underly- process. The Government of ing causes revealed that unequal gender relations were affecting In 2003 and 2004, the govern- monitor outputs and outcomes. household-level decisions, which ment commissioned three re- Furthermore, in 2004, the Bank had an important impact on the search papers; one on gender prepared the Strategic Country welfare of household members. analysis of poverty by David Gender Assessment (SCGA), to sup- The government then acted deci- Lawson, which found that house- port the revision of the PEAP and sively and took measures to holds headed by women - particu- its implementation through the deepen the understanding of gen- larly those headed by female wid- PRSC41 program, and also to sup- der issues in Uganda and to give it ows and married women - are port other Bank operational tasks, greater prominence in the follow- poorer than others; the second was including the Poverty Assessment ing PEAP revision, in 2003/04. on gender and growth linkages by and the Uganda Joint Assistance Stephan Klasen, who argued that Strategy. The SCGA examines the Process: Between 2002 and 2004, Uganda's high fertility rate - which gender dimensions of poverty in a substantial amount of work was is closely linked to gender gaps in Uganda and their implications for done to understand the extent and education, employment, bargain- the economy as well as society, impacts of gender inequality in ing power at the household level, and outlines an action agenda to Uganda. The government estab- and unequal access to credit ­ is a address the challenges. In a Pri- lished a PEAP Gender Team in 2002 major burden for women and re- ority Policy and Operational Inter- under the leadership of Ministry of duces their ability to participate in ventions matrix, the SCGA pre- Finance, Planning and Economic the economy. sents key gender issues, the sec- Development (MFPED) to take the In addition, a desk review on tors or tasks through which they lead in coordinating and managing gender and poverty was prepared need to be addressed, the princi- the integration of gender as one of as well as a Poverty and Social Im- pal actions to be taken, and the the key cross-cutting issues in the pact Assessment (PSIA) of Uganda's responsible party/parties for the PEAP. Also in 2002, the GOU com- Strategic Exports Initiative, which task. missioned and carried out the revealed that the supply response Uganda Participatory Poverty As- sought under the strategy was lim- Outcome: PEAP 2004 deals with sessment Process/Second Partici- ited by the prevailing gender in- gender as one of the main cross- patory Poverty Assessment equality because the strategy did cutting issues of development. (UPPAP/PPA2), which highlighted not take into account the fact that Among the specific actions planned three critical messages for the household shift from subsis- to redress gender inequalities are Uganda: (i) there is a marked gen- tence to market-oriented produc- strengthening women's access to der gap in control over resources tion affects women and men differ- land, addressing gender-based vio- and decision-making power, to the ently. Generally, reorientation of lence through the judicial system, detriment of women; (ii) the labor household production toward the and increasing by 2010 the per- burdens of men and women differ market is not a priority for women centage of safe water and sanita- significantly, again to the detri- because they reap unequal benefit tion coverage to 90 percent in both ment of women who are "overbur- from it. rural and urban areas from 65 per- dened," especially given the dispro- In July 2003, MFPED issued the cent in urban areas and 55 percent portionate responsibility they bear PEAP Revision Guide to provide spe- in rural areas. PEAP 2004 calls for for "meeting family needs"; and (iii) cific steps to be followed in the re- the implementation of the National the implications of these gender- vision process of the PEAP, putting Gender Policy and for the prepara- based disparities are far-reaching particular emphasis on key tion of a Gender Mainstreaming and intertwined in ways that are emerging challenges that need to Strategy for Local Governments. complex and multi-dimensional, be addressed, of which gender in- As the main implementation in- and they affect virtually every as- equality is one. In a clear and con- strument of the PEAP, the PRSC pect of life. In the same year, the cise manner, the guide presents process has picked up the ex- Ministry of Justice carried out an the gender issues under each pil- panded coverage of gender issues extensive gender analysis of the lar of the PEAP, strategies to ad- and PRSC4 addresses some of Justice, Law and Order Sector. dress the issues, and indicators to these key challenges. Among other things, PRSC4 supports the (PAF) in 1997 to provide a mecha- will be implemented in four prior- Ministry of Gender, Labour and nism for strengthening the pro- ity sectors during the first year, Social Development (MGLSD) in poor orientation of the budget. The i.e., 2005/06. The priority sectors revising the National Gender Policy PAF consists of the components of are health care, education, agri- to take account of new information the budget that are considered to cultural extension, and water and and analysis on gender and poverty contribute directly to poverty re- sanitation. linkages as well as new insights duction. These are expenditures However, in the absence of a de- on the linkages between gender on primary education, primary tailed analysis of the impacts of the inequality and economic growth. health care, water and sanitation, budget on different socio-economic PRSC4 also supports MFPED in the agriculture extension and rural groups, the BFPs prepared still development and implementation roads. As a percentage of the na- lacked gender orientation. Using of gender and equity budgeting tional budget, the PAF increased a disaggregated data by income and guidelines for the 2005/06 budget from 17 percent in 1997/98 to 35 gender, Mpuga and Canagarajah2 cycle. percent in 2003/04. While this conducted a benefit incidence PRSC4 aims to provide women trend demonstrates that the na- analysis in the four priority sec- greater access to the justice sys- tional budget is increasingly be- tors. The results of the study high- tem by tabling a Domestic Rela- coming pro-poor, it is less clear lighted the fact that the poor, and tions Bill in Parliament and pre- whether or not these resources are particularly women, benefit the senting the Sexual Offences Bill to actually reaching the poor and least from public spending unless Cabinet. These Bills are expected whether or not benefits are distrib- specific programs are incorporated to provide an important foundation uted equitably throughout various to benefit them, such as the aboli- for addressing issues of improving groups of society. tion of user fees in public health women's security, especially in centers and the introduction of relation to access to and control of Process: In an effort to under- Universal Primary Education. resources. They will also provide stand who uses government pro- a critical basis for tackling issues vided services, MFPED commis- Outcome: In light of the findings related to gender-based violence, sioned a study in 2002 that covered of the above two studies, the Gov- including sexual violence, which three districts ­ namely, Mukono, ernment of Uganda prepared gen- have emerged not only as a major Kayunga and Kampala. The study, der and equity budgeting guide- issue for Uganda, but also as one entitled "Who Benefits from the lines that have been integrated directly linked with the spread of Budget?" showed that men benefit into the Budget Circular to guide HIV/AIDS, and the ways in which more than women from public the preparation of the Sectoral risk and vulnerability to HIV/AIDS spending. Budget Framework Papers in the differ for men and women. PRSC4 Realizing that the budget is not 2005/06 budget cycle. The guide- also aims to strengthen the efforts gender-neutral, in April 2003, lines provide a step-by-step mecha- launched under PRSC3 to improve MFPED along with the MGLSD nism for integrating gender into women's access to land. launched a dialogue with central the budget process. The effective- These actions provide a solid plat- and local government officers re- ness of the guidelines on the form for the more systematic inte- sponsible for finance, planning and preparation of the 2005/06 budget gration of gender issues into poli- budgeting through a two-day work- will be discussed in a workshop on cies, while at the same time focus- shop on gender-responsive budget- the budget in 2005. ing on key reforms with respect to ing. Following the workshop, legal protections and land rights. Conclusion MFPED issued a directive to be The gender agenda will be contin- used in the preparation of the Uganda has been exceptionally ued under PRSC 5 and 6. guidelines for the Sector Budget pro-active in addressing many im- Framework Papers (BFPs). While Budgeting for Gender Equity portant gender issues, through af- the new equity guidelines are ex- firmative action in the political pected to be adopted in the budget Background: The GOU estab- sphere, through the abolition of process in all sectors, the changes lished the Poverty Action Fund user fees in health care and the introduction of UPE, through im- 2004. pressive work to reduce HIV preva- The Government of Uganda, "PEAP lence rates, and through its deter- Revision Guide," Ministry of Fi- 1 The fourth sequential annual mination to focus on gender issues nance, Planning and Economic De- Poverty Reduction Support Credit/ in the economic policy arena and velopment, July 2003. Operation, 2004. in legal reform. In the budget as 2 "Are Government Budgets Be- well as in the PEAP revision and The Government of Uganda, "Pov- coming pro-Poor: An Analysis of the PRSC process, the Ugandan erty Eradication Action Plan, 2004- Social Services Delivery Trends in authorities have used the existing 2009" Ministry of Finance, Plan- Uganda" by Paul Mpuga and administrative framework rather ning and Economic Development, Sudharshan Canagarajah, April than creating additional structures August 2004. 2004, unpublished. to integrate gender issues into de- velopment. The Government of Uganda, "Re- Nonetheless, there is an impor- port on Gender Budgeting Work- tant unfinished agenda which will shop," Ministry of Finance, Plan- require a greater willingness to ning and Economic Development, tackle some of the more difficult April 2003. and systemic issues which re- main, notably the attitudes and Klasen, Stephan. "Does Gender beliefs which continue to prevent Inequality Reduce Growth and De- many women in many spheres of velopment? Evidence from Cross- life from having any effective con- Country Regressions" Policy Re- trol over productive resources, in- search Report on Gender and De- cluding their sexuality and fertil- velopment Working Paper Series, ity, and that continue to prevent No. 7, November 1999. many men from contributing more fully and more effectively to the Mpuga, Paul and Sudharshan wellbeing of their households and Canagarajah, "Are Government families. Budgets Becoming Pro-Poor: An Analysis of Social Services Deliv- This article was written by Roy ery Trends in Uganda," April 2004. S. Canagarajah, Senior Economist, the Africa Region, World Bank. For The World Bank, Engendering De- further information, e-mail velopment Through Gender Equality scanagarajah@worldbank.org in Rights, Resources, and Voice 2001. References The World Bank, Fourth Poverty Re- Blackden, Mark and Sudharshan duction Support Operation, July Canagarajah, "Gender and Growth 2004. in Africa: Evidence and Issues" June 2003. The World Bank, "Integrating Gen- der into the World Bank's Work: A Booth, David, Margaret Kakande, Strategy for Action," January 2002. Mubarak Mabuya and Laban Mbulamuko, "Gender and Equity The World Bank, Uganda, From Pe- Guidelines for the National Budget riphery to Center: A Strategic Coun- Process," August 2004. try Gender Assessment, September