Institutionalising Gender Responsive Budgeting: Learnings from Nepal’s Experience

Gender responsive budgeting (GRB) has emerged as a key governance tool for promoting gender equality and inclusive development by integrating gender perspectives into public financial management. In Nepal, although GRB has been institutionalised since the fiscal year 2007/2008 and supported by strong constitutional commitments to equality and inclusion, its implementation at the local level remains limited due to weak technical capacity and inadequate institutional understanding. This study examines the outcomes of a capacity development action research project implemented by the Local Development Training Academy, Nepal, in collaboration with the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific, Dhaka, Bangladesh, across three municipalities of Nepal—Modi Rural Municipality, Sunwal Municipality and Gramthan Rural Municipality—between 2024 and 2025. A total of 117 elected representatives and officials participated in this programme that focused on GRB concepts, budget coding and classification, and gender equality and social inclusion audit processes. Pre- and post-intervention assessments revealed a substantial improvement in participants’ knowledge and understanding, as the average test score increased from 4.09 to 8.29 after the project intervention, out of a total score of 10. Findings also showed strengthened technical skills and enhanced institutional commitment to GRB. It was revealed that structured and participatory interventions are highly effective for capacity-building in improving GRB understanding and supporting its institutionalisation at the local government level in Nepal.