Programmes
Gender Responsive and Participatory Budgeting (GRPB)
In line with the Penang State Government’s efforts to implement CAT principles (competency, accountability and transparency) in governance, PWDC has developed a Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) programme to ensure that the needs of both women and men in Penang are met. The GRB programme’s key aims are to make government budgeting processes more gender-responsive, participatory and inclusive for diverse communities across the state. PWDC believes that government will be more effective by being responsive in allocating resources towards the different needs of different peoples in Penang.
PWDC’s GRB team works in partnership with MMK Kerajaan Tempatan and both local authorities of Penang, Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang (MPPP or Municipal Council of Penang Island) and Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai (MPSP or Municipal Council of Seberang Perai). Since 2012, GRB’s pilot low-income community projects have focused on PPR Jalan Sungai under MPPP and PPR Ampangan under MPSP.
Women's Empowerment and Leadership (WEL)
In line with the Penang State Government’s desire to empower the women of Penang, PWDC through the WEL team works on enhancing women’s participation, leadership and capacity development through outreach and engagement. PWDC specifically seeks to enhance the understanding, practical skills, capacity and support networks of decision makers, existing and potential women leaders, as well as local community representatives from different levels, in gender equality, women’s leadership, good governance and human rights.
Central to PWDC’s approach is the understanding that empowerment requires the improvement of women’s socio-economic well-being. To this end, PWDC as a state agency works to enhance access to resources by women, particularly those from low-income and other vulnerable groups.
The Gender Policy and Advocacy (GPA) programme of PWDC is tasked with formulating policies and conducting advocacy to accelerate the full participation of women in the social, economic and political transformation of Penang. The GPA programme’s responsibilities include identifying specific factors and issues that contribute to gender inequality in the State, and designing strategies to address these factors and promote gender mainstreaming in all sectors. To fulfil these roles, the GPA team undertakes research and documentation work in order to formulate evidence-based gender-responsive policies and ensure that its advocacy work is premised on sound foundations.
PWDC, through the GPA programme, also works with partners within the Penang State Government to create awareness of gender mainstreaming and facilitate the incorporation of gender dimensions into the governance and policies of relevant State Executive Council portfolios. It seeks actively to provide input to enable its government partners to deliberate and address pertinent issues with a gender lens. Through these efforts, PWDC hopes to help institutionalise gender responsive and participatory governance in Penang.
