Category: Gender-sensitive cities

Green Corridors: Inclusive and Accessible Cities in the MENA Region

Posted on by burkhard

Connective Cities, in cooperation with GIZ projects in the region, will bring together representatives from Constantine (Algeria), Hebron and Gaza (Palestine), drawing on experiences from other cities in the MENA region.

The workshop will focus on accessibility and inclusion in urban development. How can cities ensure that streets, parks and green public spaces are safe, welcoming and usable for everyone – including children, older people and people with different mobility needs?

Through peer exchange and AI-supported visualisations, participating cities will explore practical solutions for greener, more inclusive and climate-resilient urban spaces.

The exchange forms part of the ongoing Green Corridors learning process, fostering municipal cooperation and knowledge sharing across the region.

Voluntary Local Reviews as a Steering Instrument for Sustainable Municipalities

Posted on by burkhard

How can municipalities systematically track their progress on sustainable development while learning from one another? Twenty-three South African and German municipalities set out to answer this question together at two week-long workshops, held in Frankfurt in June 2026 and in Durban, South Africa, in September 2026, as part of the project ‘VLR Knowledge Transfer South Africa – Germany’.

The South African participants were Bergrivier Local Municipality, Buffalo City Metropolitan, City of Cape Town Metropolitan, City of Tshwane Metropolitan, eThekwini Metropolitan (Durban), Lephalale Local Municipality, Matzikama Local Municipality, Moses Kotane Local Municipality, Mossel Bay Local Municipality and Waterberg District Municipality; the German participants were the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, the Municipality of Spiesen-Elversberg, the Hanseatic Cities of Bremen, Buxtehude and Lüneburg, Böblingen District, the Cities of Aschaffenburg, Bonn, Geestland, Neustadt in Holstein, Cologne and Pirmasens.

Municipalities play a central role in implementing the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To make progress measurable and to communicate it transparently, a growing number of towns, cities and communities are using Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) or, in Germany, also the Sustainable Municipality Reporting Framework (Berichtsrahmen Nachhaltige Kommune, BNK) – voluntary reports, produced by municipalities themselves, on the status of SDG implementation at local level.

In practice, municipalities often face similar challenges: reliable data and suitable indicators are lacking, monitoring systems are still being set up, and producing a VLR requires good cooperation across departments as well as a clear methodological approach.

This is precisely where the project comes in. In the two workshops, the participating municipalities exchanged experiences and solutions and jointly developed ideas on how sustainability reporting can be used as a tool for municipal steering. The project is being implemented by the Service Agency Communities in One World (SKEW) together with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA). The Connective Cities learning process ‘Sustainability Reporting and Voluntary Local Reviews’, carried out in 2025, laid the foundation for this cooperation. The project continues to be supported by the agency Creative Climate Cities and is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

For participation, municipalities that were already engaging with the SDGs and municipal sustainability reporting were approached in early 2026. In addition, municipalities that are still at an earlier stage and stand to benefit from the experiences of the group also took part. Subject to funding approval, a further call for participation is planned for 2027.

A key outcome of the project will be a practical guide that leads municipalities through the process step by step. The publication is intended to help municipalities plan and carry out their own Voluntary Local Review in a structured way. It is scheduled for publication in early 2027.

Impressions

All photos: Connective Cities

Highlights of the 2026 UCLG World Congress

Posted on by burkhard

From 22 to 25 June 2026, the World Organisation of Local Authorities (UCLG) held its World Congress in Tangier, Morocco. With the theme of ‘A New Generation of Universal Local Public Services’, over 3,000 delegates from around the world gathered.

The organisation brings together national associations of local authorities, as well as over 1,000 local authorities from seven regions of the world: Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East and West Asia, and Latin America and North America. The UCLG therefore represents around five billion people, accounting for 70 per cent of the world’s population.

The UCLG World Congress is held every three years. Alongside the technical discussions held in numerous Barcamps and side events, and the many networking opportunities, the Congress marked the start of a new governance cycle for the international local government movement. The Presidium, which consists of a President and six Co-Presidents representing different regions, was re-elected. The delegates elected Uğur İbrahim Altay, Mayor of Konya, Turkey, as the new UCLG President for the 2026–2029 term.

Andreas Wolter is standing behind a podium, ready to speak.
Andreas Wolter, a Cologne city councillor, represents the German side on human rights issues | Photo: Connective Cities

The Congress also renewed UCLG’s governing bodies, including the World Council and the Executive Bureau. Representing Germany on the new World Council are Dr Ursula Sautter (Mayor of Bonn), Jörk Cardeneo (City Councillor, Düsseldorf) and Andreas Wolter (City Councillor, Cologne). The election process reflects UCLG’s commitment to balanced regional representation and shared political leadership within the global municipal movement.

Another milestone was the first-ever UCLG Women’s Assembly, which brought together women mayors, governors and local leaders from around the world. Discussions focused on advancing gender equality in local governance, strengthening women’s political leadership and further developing the Feminist Municipal Movement within UCLG. The Assembly reaffirmed that gender equality is a fundamental component of resilient, inclusive and future-oriented local governance. During the Assembly, Mayor Dr Ursula Sautter also proposed introducing a gender-balanced co-presidency model for the next UCLG mandate.

UCLG Women Assembly | Photo: Connective Cities

In the ‘Tangier Outcome Document – A New Generation of Universal Local Public Services’, the delegates also reaffirmed the central role of local and regional governments in providing inclusive, accessible and resilient public services. The focus was on issues such as affordable housing, climate resilience, digital transformation, social inclusion and international municipal cooperation.

In this context, the Connective Cities Lab ‘From Challenge to Practice: How Municipalities Turn Local Plans into Public Services’ demonstrated how how structured peer learning can support municipalities in bridging the gap between planning and implementation and in developing practical solutions to shared urban challenges.

 

Toolkit for Gender Inclusive Mobility Planning

Posted on by burkhard

Author: Lea Gerber

Publisher: German Institute for Urban Studies (Difu)

Women and gender minorities make up more than half the world’s population, yet transportation systems have historically been planned around a default male user. Research indicates that women and gender minorities navigate mobility networks differently, yet their travel patterns and needs remain underserved by conventional planning models. By prioritizing the needs of women and gender minorities, planners can design safer and more accessible transportation systems that enhance the experience for every user. This toolkit offers practical resources and guidance for designers, planners, and policymakers looking to integrate gender-inclusive practices into mobility and transportation planning. Mirroring the key phases of the urban planning process, the toolkit features chapters on topics such as data collection and public participation, each illustrated by a case study from local government projects. The toolkit also includes a Practitioner’s Guide that highlights key points and recommendations, allowing readers to quickly grasp and apply key guidance without reading the entire toolkit. While the toolkit is not comprehensive, it offers a starting point for re-examining and improving transportation and mobility systems at the local level.

Year of publication: 2026

48 pages

External link (Difu): https://difu.de/publikationen/2026/toolkit-for-gender-inclusive-mobility-planning

Municipal Observatory for Gender Mainstreaming

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“What gets measured, gets managed.” This adage underscores the importance of tracking progress to achieve meaningful change. For municipalities committed to gender mainstreaming, this means developing structured data systems, enriching the knowledge base, and ensuring precise monitoring—essential steps toward truly inclusive, gender-sensitive local governance.

Building on the model pioneered by the National Federation of Tunisian municipalities (FNCT) and its partners,1 this guide provides a unified, practical framework for advancing gender equality by integrating a gender perspective across all municipal services. Beyond policies and projects, it aims to catalyze a cultural shift—one where gender mainstreaming is no longer an add-on, but a fundamental pillar of equitable and effective local governance. Establishing a municipal observatory for Gender Mainstreaming enables municipalities to integrate the gender perspective into all aspects of municipal services, and to foster a shift in mindset where gender mainstreaming is recognized as a core element of fair and inclusive local governance. Employing the guide’s evidence-based approach, municipalities can stimulate dialogue, propose concrete solutions, and develop measurable gender related indicators that municipalities can apply and track.

Municipal Observatory for Gender Mainstreaming

English version [pdf, 11 pp.]

Arabic version [pdf, 11 pp.]

Empowering Communities: The Ripple Effect of Women’s Leadership

Posted on by erik

The initiative “Making My School More Beautiful,” led by five women elected for the municipal council of Yarmouk al-Jadida municipality in Jordan, showcases a successful model for promoting democracy and empowering girls through school parliaments. By collaborating closely with local communities, schools, and mothers, the project not only enhanced school environments but also fostered civic awareness and active participation among young women. Its structured approach offers a replicable framework for similar initiatives in other communities.

Connective Cities at WUF12

Posted on by erik

Under the notion ‘initiate change from home: locally, together, and now’, WUF12 was convened in Cairo- Egypt on 4  – 8  November 2024. Connective Cities and its network members have organized and participated in several activities with various thematic focus areas.

As a thriving knowledge-sharing network, Connective Cities was showcased during an intellectual panel that included representatives of the Guangzhou Institute for Urban Innovation, VNG International, the Arab Urban Development Institute, and Metropolis. The discussion delved into examples of utilizing digital tools and innovative approaches for growth and collaborative knowledge-sharing to advance inclusive and resilient urban development on a global scale.

Strategies and tools for successful municipal election campaigns

Posted on by erik

Planning a successful municipal election campaign involves several key elements that include understanding the political landscape, developing a campaign strategy, building a strong campaign team, creating a compelling message, fundraising, outreach and engagement, as well as utilizing media and technology. To delve into these topics, a workshop was held on the 29th July 2024 as part of the working groups’ activities. The workshop introduced the necessary strategies, tools, and practical steps to build successful election campaigns that bring women into leadership positions in municipalities. By showcasing experience from Germany and Lebanon, the participants have also discussed the challenges and obstacles that female candidates may face and ways to overcome them.

Women’s leadership in municipalities

Posted on by erik

The disparity in confidence and trust placed in female leaders in municipalities compared to their male counterparts presents a significant impediment towards promoting women’s leadership in municipalities. This gap is manifested in various ways, including biased perceptions, limited support from the voters, and unequal treatment in professional settings that hinders their efforts to create positive change.

The working group ‘Women’s leadership in municipalities’ has identified this topic among three thematic focus topics that also include election campaigning and lobbying strategies, as well as legislative reforms of municipal election laws. The workshop held on the 25th June aimed at 1) proposing practical ideas and mechanisms to enhance women’s self-confidence to fully achieve their leadership potential, 2) investigating ways to strengthen trust between women and society with regards to assuming decision-making roles and implementing reform programs.

Related publication:

Municipal Observatory for Gender Mainstreaming
A guide for municipalities in the MENA region

Working group Kickoff: Women’s leadership in municipalities

Posted on by erik

With this statement, participants of the working group ‘Women’s leadership in municipalities’ have begun their activities. The virtual kickoff took place on the 16th May 2024 and included an input from the former deputy mayor of Bonn (Ms. Melanie Grabowy), and the showcasing of the GIZ manual ‘Duos for Empowerment’ on a Mentoring Programme for Women in the Middle East and North Africa focusing on practical experience from Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon (presented by Hiba Tijani, WOMENA-GIZ).

The participants who represent 14 municipalities and civil society from Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco and Germany have expressed their enthusiasm and team spirit to engage with their peers on this topic and to exchange experience in order to design localised solutions.

Related publication:

Municipal Observatory for Gender Mainstreaming
A guide for municipalities in the MENA region