The fully audited presentation of accounts to Parliament is one of the symptoms of democracy. Parliament should see to it that judicial sanctions are provided for by law and are applied in case of corruption and mismanagement of State resources by officials and the political body. Parliament should also see to it that remedies are applied in case of fault. Engendering the budget Budgets are not neutral instruments. Engendering the budget is the best way of meeting the aspirations and needs of the majority of men and women, boys and girls.
Gender issues are cross-sectoral issues.
It is crucial for MPs in exercising their responsibilities to ascertain the relevance and validity to gender issues of the strategies and policies underpinning the contents of the budget document and bill. African MPs should become more proactive in order to effectively and efficiently influence the emerging budgeting approaches and make sure that they are gender-balanced. There is a clear need for training and guidelines in this area. It provides an opportunity for further engendering the budget on a concrete basis. Governments should be urged to promote reliable statistical databases and particularly gender-disaggregated data.