H’ng (left) and Lim hope Neksus will take Malaysia closer to achieving the fairness decreed in the UN’s SDGs. — Buletin Mutiara
A CO ERENCE for local authorities (PBT) to strengthen their knowledge and practices on gender responsive budgeting (GRB) and participatory budgeting (PB) will be held next month.
Called the Neksus GRPB National Conference and Applied Workshop 2025, it is designed to enable knowledge exchange with the country’s pioneers in the field – Penang Island City Council (MBPP), Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) and Penang Women’s Development Corporation (PWDC).
Penang social development and welfare committee chairman Lim Siew Khim said the idea for it was sparked by the numerous requests from other PBT and organisations for study visits and site tours of the local authorities on Penang island and Seberang Perai.
“Drawing on 12 years of experience in localising inclusive gender budgeting, the pioneers have developed practical GRPB strategies that are ready for replication in other local authorities,” said Lim during a press conference.
She is co-chairing the organising committee with Penang local government, town and country planning committee chairman Jason H’ng Mooi Lye.
GRPB, pioneered by PWDC, falls under Lim’s portfolio, while MBPP and MBSP are under H’ng’s local government portfolio.
Neksus will serve as a catalyst for change towards more inclusive, equitable and gender-responsive planning and budgeting in Malaysia.
The event at Bertam Resort in Kepala Batas on Oct 27 and 28 will begin with the national conference on Oct 27 featuring Datuk Seri Dr Maimunah Mohd Sharif as keynote speaker.
She is Kuala Lumpur City Hall mayor and the newly appointed Asean Special Envoy for Cities and Local Governments.
The second day will feature site visits and strategy workshops.
Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu is also scheduled to attend.
Lim said the cross-portfolio collaboration created the “nexus” enabling them to co-chair the conference together.
She said the theme “Catalyst for Inclusive Local Government Budgeting” reflected the event’s alignment with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The important goals are Gender Equality (No.5), Reduced Inequalities (No.10), Sustainable Cities and Communities (No.11) and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (No.16).
She also cited the development of Taman Areca in Sungai Pinang, a community park, as an example of GRPB in action.
“The park is designed with inclusive features such as a universal playground, outdoor gym, women’s exercise area, flat walkways for the elderly and persons with disabilities (PwDs), and a community garden managed by residents,” she told state publisher Buletin Mutiara.
Meanwhile, H’ng highlighted Penang’s leadership in GRB since 2012, when MBPP and MBSP started allocating RM200,000 each annually for women’s empowerment projects under PWDC.
He noted that GRB, which originated from Australia in the 1980s, is now practised in more than 80 countries across the Asia-Pacific, Europe and Africa.
GRB began in Malaysia in 2006 with pilot projects in five ministries, but has yet to be fully institutionalised.
“Both MBPP and MBSP first showcased GRB implementation, which later evolved into GRPB in 2014.
“Today, the local councils stand alongside cities like Vienna, Seoul, Kampala (Uganda’s capital), Toronto and Quezon City (in the Philippines) in pioneering GRB at the local government level,” H’ng said.
In 2023, United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific organised a GRPB workshop for Malaysian local authorities at the DBKL Training Institute, with PWDC, MBPP and MBSP serving as facilitators.
The collaboration produced the GRPB Training Module, now a reference guide for cities across Asia-Pacific.
In 2024, Urbanice Malaysia conducted a study on Sustainable and Gender Responsive Urban Budgeting through Local Participation, using the Penang GRPB model as a reference case.
