Promoting gender equality in decentralised cooperation: the new guide for towns and regions
In Europe, as elsewhere in the world, gender equality is not a given. But what can be done? The new guide, “Promoting gender equality: towards a gender-based approach in decentralised cooperation projects”, written by the French Association of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (AFCCRE) in the scope of its activities with PLATFORMA, brings concrete answers to this question.
The deputy mayor of Rennes and PLATFORMA spokesperson Jocelyne Bougeard presented this guide during PLATFORMA’s Political Council last week (26 April).
This guide was created so that local governments could act on gender equality in their decentralised cooperation projects. In particular, it covers the stakes of this approach, both for women and the projects themselves, for instance with the virtuous circle induced by the integration of equality. Taking into account the impact of development cooperation projects is, in fact, essential in order to ensure they are relevant and efficient; to make sure the project answers real needs, and the needs of all people concerned.
The guide covers key concepts such as empowerment or gender mainstreaming. It also showcases the distinction between on the one hand, a “women” approach in projects, meaning projects targeting women, and on the other hand, an integrated approach, meaning projects in which equality is integrated at every stage and that target all the population. The guide also offers practical tools to develop this field of work and gives information on how the question of equality should be integrated at every step of a project.
Some examples, given by the government of Catalonia and the Association of Flemish cities and municipalities (VVSG), are also included in the guide.
This guide – written by AFCCRE, in the scope of its PLATFORMA activities – has received support from the European Commission.
