The Congress is undertaking work on women participation to public life, equality between men and women, as well as on women’s rights, for example by introducing quotas in its national delegations, adopting resolutions and recommandations on gender equality, and contributing to actions fighting violence against women.
Quotas within Congress national delegations

Introduced in 2008, in accordance with the Congress Charter, the participation of a minimum of 30% of the under-represented sex in national delegations has been ensured since 2011 as a precondition for the approval of the credentials of a delegation.

  • Between 1994 and 2014, 73% (132) of the posts of President and Vice-President were held by men and 27% (49) were held by elected women;
  • For the first time in 2010, the Vice-presidents of the Congress were in equal numbers. Today (mandate 2021-2026), women constitute 50% (8 out of 16 members) of the executive of the Congress (Bureau);
  • For the first time in 2016, a woman was elected President of the Congress.
Actions to fight violence against women
  • During 2006-2008, the Congress was actively involved in the “Stop domestic violence against women” campaign, and launched in particular a poster campaign in streets and subways of many European cities with the slogan “Cities and regions take a stand”.
  • In co-operation with the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress organised a photo exhibition entitled “Break the silence on domestic violence“, inaugurated in 2008 and conducted in several cities.
  • In 2009, the Congress adopted Resolution 279 and Recommendation 260 on combating domestic violence against women and called for the development of strategies and measures at local level, to prevent and combat violence against women.
  • In 2020, the Congress adopted Resolution 459 and Recommendation 449 on fighting sexist violence against women in politics called on local and regional elected representatives to position themselves as political leaders against sexist discourse and violence.
Adopted texts
News

Back Georgian and Ukrainian local authorities join to learn from best practices on gender equality and women's rights

Georgian and Ukrainian local authorities join to learn from best practices on gender equality and women's rights

“The goal of gender equality is a shared battle, requiring the involvement of men, the media and all levels of government,” stressed Gunn Marit HELGESEN, Vice President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe encouraging a delegation of 30 Ukrainian and Georgian representatives of local councils, municipal administrations and national associations of local authorities to take further action and promote gender equality in their countries.

“You can seize the opportunity of participating in the World Forum for Democracy in Strasbourg to meet colleagues from other countries around the world and draw on best practices in equality and women's rights,” said Ms HELGESEN during the meeting held on 19 November 2018 in Strasbourg, France. She referred to the World Forum for Democracy’s theme “Gender Equality: Whose Battle?” pointing out that “this battle is not only for women, and it should be everyone’s concern.”

“How to fight stereotypes which suggest that women are not as capable as men of running a town hall? How to strengthen the confidence of women who are afraid to engage in politics? Do you have instances of exemplary co-operation between local authorities and NGOs in the field of women's rights or men who have become role models in advocating for gender equality?” Ms HELGESEN responded to these many questions by first emphasising the need for a legal framework protecting women in all situations.

The World Forum for Democracy 2018 is dedicated to gender equality and women’s rights, with a particular focus on women’s public, political and economic participation and on combating violence against women. It is a unique platform for political decision-makers and activists to debate solutions to key challenges for democracies worldwide.

As a practical follow-up to the Forum, a workshop on “Gender equality at local level: Fostering participation and equal opportunities” to be held on 22 November 2018 will allow Georgian and Ukrainian participants to share experiences and debate the implementation of gender mainstreaming and gender-sensitive policies at local level.

These exchanges are organised by the Congress to build upon previous meetings between Georgian and Ukrainian local authorities and representatives of their national associations during the 5th Open Government Partnership Global Summit held in Tbilisi, Georgia in July 2018 and to implement the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Association of Ukrainian Cities and the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia in June 2017.

 

This study visit is organised as part of the project ‘Strengthening democracy and building trust at local level in Ukraine’, implemented as part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2018-2021. This project aims to improve the quality of local democracy in Ukraine by strengthening institutional frameworks and by supporting local authorities and their national associations in their efforts to promote ethical decision-making and more citizen-oriented, inclusive, responsive and transparent local governance.

 

Contacts:

Marité MORAS, Head of Unit, Co-operation and External Relations Department, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Tel: +33 3 88 41 22 33

Svitlana GRYSHCHENKO, Project Manager, Council of Europe Office in Kyiv, Tel: +380 96 340 13 83

World Forum for Democracy Strasbourg, France 19 November 2018
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Document reference
see also

In the Resolution 404 (2016), the Congress stresses the importance of adopting and implementing the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life, launched by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) in 2006, as a sound step towards gender equality, gender mainstreaming and the promotion of equal opportunities for women and men in local political and public life.