On 2 July 2020, the Congress organised a webinar on “Preventing and Combatting Sexism at Local Level in Ukraine” to release a guide for women and men in local politics. It aims to equip local politicians in Ukraine with the knowledge necessary to recognise sexism in their institutions and administrations, and to take appropriate measures to address this issue. Altogether, it will enable and increase women’s political participation and representation at local and regional levels.
“Sexism against female candidates and local office holders is an important challenge and often an obstruction to women’s participation, the advancement of their political careers, and the representation of their point of view in local policies and solutions” stressed Jelena Drenjanin (Sweden, EPP/CCE), Congress Thematic Spokesperson on Gender Equality.
“Preventing and combatting sexism requires a concerted effort from politicians at all levels of governance, law enforcement bodies, and civil society in our quest for equal participation of women and men in public life and in decision-making”, added Andreas Kiefer, Secretary General of the Congress.
Around 40 local authority representatives, their national associations, the Government’s Commissioner for Gender Policy, civil society organisations, and experts on gender issues had the opportunity to learn about the Congress report and work on “Fighting sexist violence against women in politics at local and regional level”, the Ukrainian normative framework and local experiences and good practices to counter sexism in co-operation with civil society.
The webinar was organised as part of the project "Strengthening democracy and building trust at local level in Ukraine” implemented by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2018‑2021. The 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 and transparent local governance.
Publication
Preventing and Combatting Sexism at the Local Level in Ukraine: A Guide for Women and Men in Local Politics
Available in: English and Ukrainian