Project of Inclusive Municipal Governance Report for Women and Girls, which will be carried out in collaboration of the Association for Supporting Women Candidates (KA.DER) and Argüden Governance Academy, was introduced on September 18 during an event held under the auspices of Marmara Municipalities Union with the participation of UCLG-MEWA, mayors, municipal representatives and other NGOs.
KA.DER President Nuray Karaoğlu stated in her speech during the introductory meeting that they aim to contribute to the process of achieving gender equality through municipalities with the Inclusive Municipal Governance Report (KBYK). “Despite being one of the earliest countries that granted women the right to vote and to be elected, Turkey is, today, one of the countries with the lowest rate of women’s political representation and participation. According to the World Economic Forum's 2018 report, Turkey ranks 130 th among 149 countries in the global gender equality index” she mentioned.
Yılmaz Argüden, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Argüden Governance Academy Foundation, emphasized in his speech that local governments are important mechanisms in terms of determining the policies and activities that directly affect our daily lives. He also stated that “With the Inclusive Municipal Governance Report, we aimed to contribute to municipal decision-making, resource allocation and utilization, service provision and gender-sensitive institutionalization and reduction of inequalities in the light of the principles of good governance.”
After the speeches, Ayşe Kaşıkırık, KA.DER Projects Coordinator, gave a presentation on ‘Equality Policies in Local Governments’ while İnan İzci from Argüden Governance Academy introduced the approach on ‘Integrated and Inclusive Strategic Planning.’ The meeting continued with a panel discussion on ‘Equality and Good Governance Practices in Local Governments’ moderated by Fikret Toksöz. Later on, Salim Korkmaz, UCLG-MEWA General Coordinator, introduced UCLG-MEWA to the participants and informed them on the activities of the UCLG-MEWA Committee on Gender Equality.