53 4 ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE TO GOVERNMENT 4.6 GENDER-RESPONSIVE BUDGETING Governments should report on how public resources are mobilized for human rights, and this includes women’s rights. By monitoring how public funds are spent, NHRIs can help to ensure that public-policy choices are not discriminatory and that they reflect a progressive approach to the realization of women’s rights and the achievement of gender equality. NHRIs should also be prepared to deal with scrutiny in terms of their own spending allocations. 4.7 LIAISON WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS The Paris Principles require that NHRIs consult with other bodies that are responsible for human rights.31 Because women’s rights and gender equality depend on complex and interrelated factors, the involvement of governments is crucial to addressing a  range of issues. NHRIs should liaise with government officials on a  regular basis. This liaison should not be limited to government officials who are focused on women’s rights or gender equality issues, but should include all governmental departments and institutions whose work has an impact on these areas. It should also be noted that national mechanisms for gender equality, the so-called gender machineries, play a key role in protecting and promoting women’s rights and gender equality on the national level. Almost all states in the OSCE region have such mechanisms in place. It is essential for NHRIs to collaborate and develop synergies with the national gender machineries, whose areas of responsibility are often similar to those of the NHRIs, including work on gender-related 31 UN Principles relating to the status and functioning of national institutions for protection and promotion of human rights (the “Paris Principles”),Art. 3(f). SURVEY RESULTS 15% of NHRIs sur- veyed reported that they advocate for genderresponsive budgeting at the national level. Example In 2011, the Protector of Citizens of the Republic of Serbia sent official letters to all municipalities requesting that their 2012 annual budgets allocate the necessary resources for local NGOs to protect women against domestic violence. SURVEY RESULTS 39% of NHRIs surveyed report that they meet regularly with government officials in order to discuss women’s rights and gender equality.