1.
The
World Executive Committee of the International Union of Local Authorities
(IULA), the worldwide association of local governments, meeting in
2.
Recalling
the Worldwide Declaration of Local Self‑Government adopted at IULA's 31st
World Congress in
3.
Recalling the Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the United Nations
Declaration on Women and Platform for Action adopted in Beijing in 1995, in
particular the principle, recognised in Article 344 of the Beijing Platform for
Action, that international
organisations, such as IULA, have an important role to play in
implementing the UN Platform for Action;
4.
Recognising
that the reasons as to why women are not represented equally in local
government are multiple, and that women and men throughout the world live under
different conditions and women do not have the same access to and control over
economic and political resources as men;
5.
Considering
that local government, as an integral part of the national structure of
governance, is the level of government closest to the citizens and therefore in
the best position both to involve women in the making of decisions concerning
their living conditions, and to make use of their knowledge and capabilities in
the promotion of sustainable development;
6.
Emphasising
that the mission of IULA cannot be realised without the equal and systematic
integration of women into democratic local decision making and that democracy
cannot be realised without adequate representation, participation and inclusion
of women in the local governance process;
WE, THE MEMBERS OF IULA, REPRESENTING LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WORLDWIDE, FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT:
7.
Democratic
local self‑government has a critical role to play in securing social,
economic and political justice for all citizens of every community in the world
and that all members of society, women and men, must be included in the
governance process;
8.
Women
and men as citizens have equal human rights, duties and opportunities, as well
as the equal right to exercise them. The right to vote, to be eligible for
election and to hold public office at all levels are human rights that apply
equally to women and men;
9.
The
problems and challenges facing humanity are global but occur and have to be
dealt with at the local level. Women have the equal right to freedom from
poverty, discrimination, environmental degradation and insecurity. To fight
these problems and to meet the challenges of sustainable human development, it
is crucial that women be empowered and involved in local government as decision‑makers,
planners and managers;
10.
Local
government is in a unique position to contribute to the global struggle for
gender equality and can have a great impact on the status of women and the
status of gender equality around the world, in its capacities as the level of
governance closest to the citizens, as a service provider and as an employer;
11.
The
systematic integration of women augments the democratic basis, the efficiency
and the quality of the activities of local government. If local government is
to meet the needs of both women and men, it must build on the experiences of
both women and men, through an equal representation at all levels and in all
fields of decision‑making, covering the wide range of responsibilities of
local governments;
12.
In
order to create sustainable, equal and democratic local governments, where
women and men have equal access to decision-making, equal access to services
and equal treatment in these services, the gender perspective must be
mainstreamed into all areas of policy making and management in local
government.
13.
Women
have the right to equal access to the services of local governments, as well as
the right to be treated equally in these services and to be able to influence
the initiation, development, management and monitoring of services. The
provision of services such as education, welfare and other social services by
local governments, should aim to see women and men as equally responsible for
matters related both to the family and to public life, and avoid perpetuating
stereotypes of women and men;
14.
Women
have the equal right to sound environmental living conditions, housing, water
distribution and sanitation facilities, as well as to affordable public
transportation. Women's needs and living conditions must be made visible and
taken into account at all times in planning;
15.
Women
have the right to equal access to the territory and geographical space of local
governments, ranging from the right to own land, to the right to move freely
and without fear in public spaces and on public transport;
16.
Local
government has a role to play in ensuring the reproductive rights of women and
the rights of women to freedom from domestic violence and other forms of
physical, psychological and sexual violence and abuse;
17.
Women
have the equal right to employment in local government and equality in
recruitment procedures. As employees in local government women and men have the
right to equal pay, equal access to benefits, promotion and training, as well
as the right to equal working conditions and treatment in the evaluation of
their work;
18.
Women's
often heavy workload of paid and unpaid work is a barrier to their ability to
take part in decision making. Local government has an important role to play in
providing affordable, professional and safe care services for children, older
people and people with disabilities, be that directly or in partnership with
the private or the voluntary sectors, and in promoting the sharing of household
tasks by women and men on an equal basis. Men have the equal right and
responsibility to care for their children and relatives and should be
encouraged to do so;
WE, THE MEMBERS OF IULA, REPRESENTING
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WORLDWIDE, COMMIT OURSELVES TO:
19.
Ensuring
that the conditions within our local governments and associations allow our
beliefs as stated in this document to be realised;
20.
Strengthening
our efforts to make equal the number of women and men in decision‑making
bodies at all levels and in all policy areas, and our efforts to ensure women's
qualitative participation in councils, committees and other groups related to
decision-making in local government;
21.
Applying
the mainstreaming principle by integrating a gender perspective into all
policies, programmes and service delivery activities in individual local
governments and their representative associations at national, regional and
international levels, and to developing methods for monitoring and measuring
this mainstreaming work;
22.
Looking
for new ways to ensure that women are represented and actively participate by
formal as well as informal means in the process of local governance;
23.
Strengthening
international and national cooperation between local governments, supported by
national, regional and international associations of local governments, in
order to further the exchange of experiences, as well as to devise and develop
methods, policies and strategies that help offset barriers to women's
participation in local decision‑making;
24.
Outlining,
implementing and monitoring action plans for promoting equal opportunities in
the municipal workplace, encompassing equal opportunities of recruitment,
promotion, remuneration, as well as equal working conditions;
25.
Working
for changes of attitudes related to gender issues by awareness‑raising in
the education system and within the political and administrative structure of
local governments;
26.
Working
actively with other actors of society,
including national gender systems and organisations, the private sector, non‑governmental
organisations, professional groupings, women’s groups, research institutes and
trade unions in accomplishing the goals of this declaration;
WE CALL UPON NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS TO:
27.
Acknowledge
that local government has a critical role to play in creating sustainable
democracies and gender equal societies, and therefore, to grant constitutional,
legal and financial autonomy to local governments to enable them to meet their
democratic responsibilities;
28.
Support,
encourage and create opportunities and resources for local governments to work
for and promote gender equality;
29.
Recognise
national associations of local governments as important partners in the
development, promotion and support of gender equality at the local level, and
in the exchange of experiences at the international, national and local levels;
30.
Work
in partnership with local government associations and their members to
implement the Beijing Platform for Action and the Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW);
31.
Guarantee
and enforce the right of women to a legal capacity identical to that of men and
to the same opportunities to exercise that capacity, by ensuring equality and
non‑discrimination before the law and in practice;
32.
Guarantee
and enforce the right of women to participate in the democratic system, by
ensuring women the equal right to vote, to be eligible for election and to hold
public office;
33.
Develop
and augment knowledge in the field of gender by ensuring that statistics
collected on individuals are gender disaggregated and analysed with a gender
perspective, and to make available resources for academic research with a
gender perspective, that can be of use for the development of gender equality
in local government;
WE CALL UPON THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO:
34.
Implement
the Beijing Platform for Action, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and this declaration;
35.
Recognise
the local level as the level of governance closest to the citizens with a
critical role to play in attaining the objectives of gender equality agreed
upon by National Governments through the United Nations, and therefore;
36.
Work
with Local Government and its institutions at all levels to promote the equal
participation of women and men in local decision‑making in all its forms,
formal and informal;
37.
Support
programmes initiated by local governments and their associations aimed at
increasing the representation of women in local government and local positions
of leadership.