The Budget section is one of the three sections of PANE. The major duties and resposibilities of the section among others include;
- To introduce applied budget works to the Ethiopian CSOs in order to enable them engage proactively in the budget processes;
- To provide a space for information sharing and joint learning and work towards a joint advocacy;
- To create key alliances with other organizations internationally working on budgets;
- To create strategic partnership with the International Budget Project’s Civil Society Budget Initiative;
- To Organize and conduct budget monitoring training program for the members of the core group to build their capacity on budget works.
To invlove members in the activities of the section Budget core group consisting of interested member organizations was established. The Core Group system is put in place to ensure the active involvement of member CSOs in PANE’s Core activities, and to warrant ownership of the network
Budget Works Core Group
CSOs working around poverty-reduction in Ethiopia are increasingly becoming interested in applied budget work and public expenditure tracking as a means of engaging proactively in the PASDEP processes. Applied budget work comprises a set of activities like budget research and analysis, training, civic action and policy advocacy, which are all carried out with the aim of evaluating the impacts of budgets on the poorest and most marginalized, and for using the results for advocating policy improvements and changes.
A number of CSOs both from within and outside PANE have expressed their interest to engage in budget work and public expenditure training, and a ‘Budget Group’ has been set up in PANE. Most of the CSOs in this group have already received a three-day training on Budget work in April 2006 that was jointly organised by PANE, the Ugandan Debt Network (UDP), and the African Budget Project of IDASA, based in South Africa. The trainers themselves came from UDN and IDASA, while the Washington-based Civil Society Budget Initiative (CSAB) provided the actual support for the training. Similar trainings on applied budget work have also been provided to PANE’s Regional Chapters, from July 24 to 25, 2006. The PANE Budget group has now set work-plan for itself, and would be focusing on capacitating its members, having a thorough understanding of the budget process in the country, and intends to hold policy-dialogues on budget processes for the fiscal year 2007/08.
The core group involves multi-dimensional representation of member organizations and its members are comprised of local and international NGOs including
1. Oxfam GB,
2. Action Aid Ethiopia (AAE),
3. Basic Education Association of Ethiopia (BEAE),
4. Water Aid,
5. Inter Africa Group (IAG),
6. HUNDEE
7. Network of Ethiopian Women's Association (NEWA),
8. Ethiopian Economic Association (EEA),
9. Handicap National,
10. Save the Children Sweden,
11. Save the Children UK
12. Help Age International (HAI)
13. Rift Valley Children and Women Development Association (RCWDA)