Mayors take action on women’s rights

Mayors from the Eurocities network of more than 200 larger European cities used the occasion of International Women's Day 2023 to reconfirm their commitment to secure women's rights and announced the creation of a new working group on gender equality.

In a statement, mayors from the Eurocities Executive Committee highlighted the numerous actions being undertaken by cities to empower women at a time when more women are being put at risk of poverty and social exclusion due to the rising cost of living.

Through initiatives such as Eurocities 'Inclusive Cities for All' campaign, cities are committing to:

• Close the gender pay gap, thereby ensuring women get equal pay for equal work;
• Foster women's active participation in the labour market, including through training;
• Provide better access to services, including childcare facilities, and promote better conditions to reconcile family and work-life balance;
• Recognise the need to be gender inclusive in their city administrations and their public procurement standards;
• Make women's rights part of local, national and EU policies;
• Combat gender-based violence.

In a show of international solidarity, the mayors also voiced their support for Ukrainian women who have had to flee their homes, as well as with women in Iran and Afghanistan.

"This International Women's Day must draw attention to the many women around the world who face persecution and violence because of their gender," reads the statement.

A new Eurocities Task Force on Gender Equality will work specifically on these topics to secure a gender mainstreaming approach in Eurocities policy and projects work, and support cities to build up their capacities by sharing best practices such as gender budgeting and different approaches to gender-sensitive urban planning.

"Working for women's empowerment and the promotion of gender equality has always been at the heart of the political agenda of our member cities," said André Sobczak, Secretary General, Eurocities. "Given there is a stronger agenda on women's rights at EU level, now is the time to bring together the knowledge and experience of cities. We want to ensure cities learn from and support each other to develop more gender sensitive urban planning," he added. "We also want to inform EU policy making on gender equality by sharing our real-life examples from an urban perspective. The new Eurocities Task Force on Gender Equality will concentrate on boosting our impact in both of these areas."