Legal Aspects of the Gender B udgeting in the Czech Republic JUDr. Kristýna Outlá

1. Legal Aspects of the Gender Budgeting in the Czech RepublicJUDr. Kristýna Outlá 8th November 2007 Prague, Czech Republic

2. Gender budgeting The gender budgeting is a tool to implement gender mainstreaming within the budgeting processes or, in plainer words, a tool to evaluate budgets from the viewpoint of gender where the gender aspect shall be applied on all levels of the budgeting process to ensure equal rights for both men and women.

3. Adjustment of the equality of men and women and the ban on discrimination in the legal code of the Czech Republic • Constitutional Law No. 2/1993 Coll. – the Charter of Basic Rights and Freedoms (Article 3 section 1) • special protection against discrimination – the sphere of employment • Anti-discrimination Law

4. Regulation of budgeting in the legal code of the Czech Republic • Law No. 218/2000 Coll., on budgetary regulations • Law No. 250/2000 Coll., on budgetary regulations of territorial budgets • Law No. 243/2000 Coll., on budgetary designation of taxes • Law No. 420/2004 Coll., on the investigation of the economies of self-governing territorial units and voluntary groups of municipalities

5. Regulation of budgeting in the legal code of the Czech Republic • Subordinate legal regulations • decree No. 16/2001 Coll., on the manner, time limits and extent of data submitted for evaluation of the fulfilment of the budgets • decree No. 323/2002 Coll., on the composition of the budget • Resolution 896 dated 10.9.2003 – Informative methodology of budgeting taking into account the equal rights of men and women

6. The roles of men and women in the decision-making processes • women 52%, men 48% • 18 ministerial positions (2 women) • 200 deputies (31 women) • 81 senators (11 women) • the candidates for the European Parliament (25.2% women, elected 20.8%) • 6251 municipalities – 15% women are heads of local boards, no woman is head of any regional authority

7. The priority targets of the government of the Czech Republic • Government Priorities and Procedures to Assert Equality between Women and Men – 1998 • 7 target areas • Assertion of general equality between women and men as part of government policy • Increasing the level of legal awareness • Assertion of equal opportunities for women and men in the realm of economic activities

8. The priority targets of the government of the Czech Republic • Improvement of the social status of women and men looking after children or other needful family members • Due consideration of the special position of women with respect to their reproductive function and physiological condition • Suppression of violence on women • Monitoring and evaluation of the effects of the principle of equal status of women and men when applied in practical life

9. The institutions for enforcement of the equal rights and opportunities • Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs • Government Council for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men • Government Council for Human Rights including its committee for elimination of any form of discrimination of women • Minister for human rights and ethnical minorities

10. The institutions for enforcement of the equal rights and opportunities • Government commissioner for human rights • Among the Ministry staff there always is at least one expert on the issues of gender equality in the particular field of interest for the given Ministry • The standing committee of the Chamber of Representatives for equal opportunities

11. The seminars in the Czech Republic • 14 regions (approx. 45 municipalities always invited) • no fee • expected 30 people at each seminar • the actual participation much lower • the composition of the group – 13% men, 87% women, only 1,5% of the elected representatives • 2 opinions • the legal regulation of the gender-budgeting principles • the regular explanation campaigns

12. Thank you for your attention and have a nice day.