On the occasion of International Women’s Day, March 8, UCLG is proud to announce a series of materials and activities that will take place during this exciting month for the equality agenda.
International Women’s Day is a moment to reflect on progress and celebrate achievements, as well as to remind the persistent inequalities and the continued relevance of the movement for women’s rights. UCLG, as an equality-led movement, will convey the force of the Global Feminist Municipal Movement as a driver of inclusive and caring cities.
Women have been at the forefront of the response to the pandemic, representing the majority of care workers, ahead of public service provision and in informal sectors. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, UCLG is calling attention to the disproportionate impact of the crises on women and girls, the need to develop gender-sensitive responses in cities and territories.
In the process to develop the Pact for the Future that our Organization has been mandated to facilitate, it is essential to bring to the decision-making table all actors. Women and girls’ voices have often been dismissed in decisions that affect their own lives. It is essential to enable local women leadership and decision-making in the pandemic recovery, as well as to establish women participation in public life as a critical condition in the future that our communities envision.
As our UCLG Decalogue for the COVID Era states, solidarity has been a beacon of security over the past months and it is crucial to address and put an end to the persistent inequalities. With that in mind, the World Organization will promote the transformative strength of a feminist municipalism and the experiences of our female leaders who have displayed their vision of solidarity in the aftermath and beyond, with a view to the Commission of the Status on Women (CSW 65), and the Generation Equality Forums in Mexico City and Paris.
The sixty-fifth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65) will take place on 15-26 March 2021, under the theme "Women's full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls". As part of this milestone, UCLG will gather the constituency to take part in CSW65 official sessions and on the Local and Regional Governments’ Days (17, 19, 22, 23 March – calendar below).
The month will conclude with the Generation Equality Forum in Mexico, 29-31 March. UCLG is Generation Equality and part of this multi-stakeholder initiative, emphasizing the unique role of local and regional governments to attain gender equality. In Mexico, UCLG will co-convene the Local and Regional Governments Forum on 30 March to foster further engagement of the constituency in the call to action and framework that will result from the Generation Equality Forums.
“Towards the co-creation of our Pact for the Future, the mobilization in March will provide a valuable contribution and a renewed impulse to the commitment with Generation Equality. The local level is the cradle of women and feminist leadership and the constituency of Local and Regional Governments is devoted to placing care at the centre of the agenda in our cities and territories” – Emilia Saiz, UCLG Secretary General, and Co-Chair of the Generation Equality Action Coalition on Feminist Movements and Leadership.
UCLG advocates for increased participation of women and feminist leaders in decision-making processes towards a sustainable, inclusive and just recovery. For a new model that places care at centre, recognizing the value of care work and workers, and which addresses informality and contributes to eradication of gender-based violence and inequalities.
Considering the above, UCLG is pleased to disseminate:
- Call to Action: Women Leadership for the Post-COVID-19 Era
- Joint Statement of Local and Regional Governments at the CSW65
- Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment – Durban Policy Paper
- MC2CM Dialogue on Migrant Women
- Expert Group Meeting outcome report
It’s time to reunite feminist local and regional leaders to end gender-based violence, discrimination and women underrepresentation in our cities and territories!
Related events by the constituency:
- Meeting of CEMR’s Standing Committee for Equality organized by CEMR le 8 March14:00-17:00 CET
- Meeting of Women in Latin America, organized by FLACMA, 8 March, 17h-18h30 CST
- Celebration of International Women's Day & the 10th anniversary of REFELA, 9-10 March
- Visit women.uclg.org/
- Read our Call to Action - Women’s Leadership for the Post COVID-19 Era here.