Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) and partners including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Gender Monitoring Office (GMO), on Monday, January 15, launched a one-year pilot equanomics initiative which aims to make fiscal policies work for gender equality and mobilize financing for SDG5 through tax administrations and fiscal governance.

It is part of the initiative RRA enrolled into the gender equality seal for public institutions programme that will help to mainstream processes, practices, and reforms at RRA, to create a more inclusive and gender-responsive tax system.

The gender equality seal for public institutions is a voluntary awarding programme that aims to support and recognize public institutions globally that commit to and improve on advancing gender equality and women's empowerment.

Capacity building on gender analysis and mainstreaming for RRA staff feature as a key component of the GES programme. The aim is to build awareness and develop internal expertise on gender equality and inclusion and institutionalize gender structures and mechanisms within the fiscal sector.

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According to Smith Bernadette, the strategic advisor to the Commissioner General at RRA, due to its strong commitment, RRA has the potential to be a continental leader in gender equality in revenue authorities because of the strong obligation from the leadership and dedicated teams.

She said: "This will be important for the women who work in our tax authority, taxpayers and customers to ensure that women who run businesses can participate in the economy fully, formalise and grow the economy of Rwanda.”

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Nadine Umutoni Gatsinzi, the Chief Gender Monitor at GMO, said: "In partnership with UNDP and UN Women, we ensure that thriving institutions also prioritise the gender equality pillar. We assess institutions’ current stance on gender equality, scrutinise their policies, conduct a diagnostic analysis, and help them to formulate action plans for improvement.”

She explained that the impact of the GES programme has been significant, with institutions elevating the representation of women in decision-making roles, augmenting the number of female staff through internships, and supporting women employees in their professional and parenting roles.

Innocente Murasi, the Commissioner for the Strategy and Risk Analysis Department at RRA, said gender equality permeates every aspect of RRA’s work, emphasising the need to provide a workplace that is a safe place for women to have fulfilling and stretching careers.

"It is mandatory for us to ensure that our service delivery meets the needs of all our customers, including the women. We are not at the beginning of our gender journey. Already, my teams have launched many initiatives in this field. For example, this year, RRA published fully gender-disaggregated statistics relating to RRA staff and linking to all individual taxpayers. In doing so, we became the first country in Africa to publish such a comprehensive set of gender-disaggregated tax data.”

In anticipation of the programme, RRA appointed a gender equality committee, which needs enhanced information and knowledge to mainstream gender into tax administration.

During the equanomics initiative launch and enrolment into the GES programme, a one-day training session was organized for members of the gender equality committee for RRA with more participants from GMO, UNDP, and the Ministry of Finance as well as media practitioners.

The GES has benchmarks and dimensions considered, for example, gender pay gap, and sexual harassment. As noted, according to statistics in a labour force survey, women are paid less by 13 per cent compared to men. When it comes to sexual harassment, 74 per cent of women and 26 per cent of men in Rwanda experience sexual harassment, according to data by Transparency International.

Clement Kirenga, the National Coordinator for Inclusive Governance at UNDP Rwanda, said institutions are encouraged to enrol into the GES programme. The seals are awarded based on an institution’s performance; 80 per cent and above is a gold seal, and below is silver and bronze.

In the last four years, UNDP has certified 15 private companies and three government institutions.

Kirenga noted that more than 50 companies are engaged on different levels.

"Certification is not an end, but a way to recognise a company for having achieved something. Transformation is what we consider important.”