This booklet articulates what it means to take an explicitly rights-based approach to government budgets and draws on the lessons of Gender Budget Initiative experiences around the world. It links govern­ments’ commitments under CEDAW with the four main dimen­sions of budgets: revenue, expenditure, macroeconomics of the budget, and budget decision-making processes. It shows links between the share of educational expenditure and the realisation of girls’ right to education.