Improving budgeting for children

About the Project

The project “Strengthening Child-Centered Budgeting at the Subnational Level” is implemented by the Institute for Budget and Socio-Economic Research (IBSER) in partnership with UNICEF and funded by KfW within the broader framework of the “Integrated Social Services for Conflict-Affected Children and Families in Western and Central Ukraine” initiative.
The project runs from August 2024 to March 2026.

Project Goal

The goal of the project is to strengthen the capacity of national and local authorities to implement child-responsive budgeting by:
● Enhancing budget transparency;
● Engaging youth and families with children;
● Improving the adequacy of social spending and the efficiency of programs aimed at delivering services to children, youth, and families in the areas of education, healthcare, social protection, child protection, early childhood development, gender-responsive budgeting, and children’s access to clean water and sanitation in communities.

The project primarily targets vulnerable children, families, and youth, particularly those affected by the war, ensuring that their needs are prioritized in local budget planning. It also contributes to increasing the consideration of the needs and interests of children, youth, and families in community budgets.

The pilot phase focuses on 10 communities in Lviv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, and Chernihiv oblasts, which are implementing child-friendly practices and gender-responsive budgeting to benefit children, youth, families, and especially the most vulnerable groups.

The direct beneficiaries of the project include local authorities, council members, mayors, and youth participating in project activities, while the indirect beneficiaries are children, youth, families in need of support, and the broader community residents.

Key Objectives

The core objectives of the project are:
● Strengthening institutional capacity;
● Supporting data-driven planning and child-centered budgeting;
● Applying gender-responsive budgeting (GRB);
● Managing limited financial resources effectively;
● Protecting and prioritizing spending on children and youth;
● Promoting evidence-based advocacy for child-focused investments.