Every citizen has a right to participate and benefit from national economic development.
The Beijing PFA recommends the removal of all obstacles that hinder women's economic empowerment to enable them to enjoy their economic rights and achieve equality in access to, and participation in economic structures and policies. The WBI, which is proving to be one of the best practices to engender national budgets, is designed to impact on the structures of allocating resources to ensure that women and men benefit equally. Other countries in the region such as Mozambique, Namibia and Tanzania have also started devising ways to introduce women-friendly national budgets following the South African experience. The initiative was started by a group of researchers, both from the universities and NGOs, with support and backing of the Gender and Economic Policy Group of the South African Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Finance. The WBI is not a separate budget for women.