The Gender Budget Watchdog Network (GBWN)—a regional network of 100+ civil society organizations from the Western Balkans and Moldova—will convene the international Forum “Going Glocal 2.0: Sustainable Gender Responsive Futures” on 10–11 December at Holiday Inn Hotel in Skopje.
The GRB Forum brings together 80+ participants from 20 countries – civil society representatives, government officials, and gender equality activists from across Europe – creating a space where global expertise meets local experience, with a strong focus on climate financing from a gender perspective. The Forum puts strong emphasis on strengthening the civil society’s engagement in environmental and broader policy-making processes, ensuring that intersecting citizen needs are better recognized and addressed.
At the official opening of the GRB Forum , opening remarks will be delivered by:
- E. Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, The President of the Republic of North Macedonia
- E. Martin Pammer, Ambassador of Austria to North Macedonia
- E. Elisabet Dahlberg Frisk, Deputy Ambassador of Sweden to North Macedonia
- E. Andrej Lepavcov, Director, Directorate for the European Union at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of N. Macedonia
- Marija Risteska, GBWN Regional Directress / CRPM Executive Directress
The GRB Forum aims to strengthen civil society, connect key stakeholders, and advocate for fairer public finance and gender-responsive climate action. It will spotlight how CSOs use gender-responsive budgeting to monitor climate finance, generate evidence, and drive accountability.
The program features four panels: (1) the role of CSOs as public finance watchdogs; (2) multi-level approaches to GRB and climate financing, including tools for tracking investments and assessing gender-differentiated climate impacts; (3) gender-responsive policies for building resilient, and sustainable communities, and (4) development of inclusive transport solutions.
Interactive World Café sessions will explore gendered climate impacts on agriculture and rural livelihoods, GRB tools for crisis preparedness, gender equality in the circular economy and green cities, and inclusive budgeting for marginalized groups.
For more details please see the Forum AGENDA.
About GBWN:
The Gender Budget Watchdog Network (GBWN) strengthens the capacity of civil society organizations to promote accountability, transparency, and more effective public fund management through gender-responsive budgeting. Bringing together 100+ women’s organizations, think tanks, disability rights advocacy groups, and CSO development organizations, GBWN supports civil society in actively participating in policy-making and budgeting processes through gender watchdog reporting and collaborative networking. The Network’s founding members include CRPM (North Macedonia), Gender Alliance for Development Centre – GADC (Albania), Civil Society Promotion Center –CPCD (Bosnia and Herzegovina), the Kosovo Women’s Network, Keystone Moldova, Women Action (Montenegro), and the Gender Knowledge Hub (Serbia).
