In October PILA and the Equality Budgeting Campaign are facilitating a Response to the Budget event for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) after the Irish Government announces its Budget on Tuesday 15 October. This event is a result of PILA's NGO Roundtable on Equality and Human Rights Budgeting in July. The purpose of the October event is to help the NGO sector put forward a united response and analysis to the Budget. The event will have two parts – a press conference and a discussion forum.
The NGOs that attended the July roundtable called for the application of an equality and human rights based approach to government budgeting decisions. This approach is based on accountability, consultation and the application of minimum “red line” human rights standards to the budget. Equality budgeting is an approach to economic policy-making and planning that places equality at the centre of decisions concerning public expenditure and income. Human rights budgeting refers to the human rights law obligations applicable to budgetary decisions - even in a recession.
PILA and the Equality Budgeting Campaign are facilitating this event to help NGOs that represent the most vulnerable groups in Ireland to speak with one voice in calling for a fairer Budget.
Prior to the Budget's announcement, PILA will circulate a set of survey questions to participating NGOs. On 15 October, the day of the Budget, the NGOs will answer the questions and send their responses to PILA. PILA and the Equality and Budgeting Campaign will collate the NGOs' answers on 16 October. Two days after the Budget, (International Day for the Eradication of Poverty - 17 October), the NGOs will come together again in the National Library for a press conference and a discussion forum to put together a joint post-budget submission.
A number of NGOs are already involved in this initiative. If your organisation is interested in taking part by answering the survey questions the day after the Budget, and attending the joint press conference and discussion forum event on 17 October, please contact PILA's Project Officer Mairead Healy on 01 872 8048 or mairead.healy@flac.ie.
If you are interested in signing up to the Equality Budgeting Campaign, an organisation campaigning on equality budgeting, you can register with them by emailing equalitybudgetingcampaign@gmail.com. More information is available on their website http://www.equalitybudgeting.ie