Women Mayors

1
Women Mayors Link

• Dina Loghin
• SEF Foundation Romania

2
The idea of the project to create

• national networks of the women mayors in the 12
  countries and territories of the Stability Pact
  (SP) Region,
• the regional network in the South East of Europe
  (SEE), and
• to network with women mayors from the developed
  UNECE countries

3
National networks have been created

• in 11 countries and territories of the Stability
  Pact (SP) Region Albania, Bosnia and
  Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, FYRoMacedonia,
  Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Serbia and
  Montenegro, Slovenia
• in Kosovo/a there is only one woman mayor

4
GOVERNANCE AND PARTICIPATON

• Governance and Participation at the National
  Level
• Local Governance Decentralization, Community
  Planning and Service Provision
• Governance and the Household/Family
• Participation and Governance in the Private
  Sector

5
The issue of decentralization

• highlights the importance of gender-balanced
  representation in official local government
  structures
• highlights the need for participatory mechanisms
  

6
Community Planning and Service Provision

• Social, Health and Education Services
• Planning (house design, zoning and site
  lay-out), Housing (waste removal, energy, water
  supplies and other urban services) and
  Transportation (women tend to rely much more
  heavily on public transport, and often require
  public transportation at non-peak hours, for the
  completion of parenting and household-related
  chores)

7
Question 2

• Did Women Mayors Link (WML) project influence
  your official statements (as a mayor) regarding
  gender and gender issues?
•  
• Entry Points

8
Question 2

• Maternity Hospital Croatia, Romania ?
  engendering city hall budgets, change in local
  policies
• Water Kosovo/a the lack of drinking water
  Moldova, Romania domestic water supply,
  sanitation, hygiene in the rural area ? change in
  local policy ? lobbying to change the public
  policy irrigation Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania

9
Question 2

• Recreational area Kosovo/a, Croatia
•  Housing - the budget planning and the
  investments Croatia, Albania
• Public transportation -

10
Question 3

• Were the city hall priorities influenced as
  well?
• Entry Points Developing social/public services

11
Question 3

• day care centers Croatia, Moldova children
  raised by grandparents because their parents are
  working abroad ? engendering city hall budgets
• services for battered women Bulgaria

12
Question 3

• Entry Points public policies
• local policy for single mothers ? lobbying to
  change the public policy Romania
• systematic approach to protection of women -
  BiH Depending on where you live in Bosnia and
  Herzegovina, Maternity Leave and
  Family/Childrens Benefits vary drastically! ?
  change in local policy ? lobbying to change the
  public policy

13
Question 11

• Are there any strategies
• developed for using
• information and communication
• technology in your city hall?
• Entry Points

14
Question 11

• web site of the city hall Bulgaria,
  FYRoMacedonia, Hungary, Romania
•  cable TV ? strategic use of internet Romania
• e-government women mayors access to
  e-government programs AND the users who pay
  taxes by internet men or women?

15
Question 19

• Have you changed the way ICT means are used in
  the city hall?
• Entry Points

16
Question 19

• e-news letter give more visibility to the
  locality for donors by example and to women
  mayors in the local authorities organizations
• internet for networking

17
 The GEM methodology questionnaire - the most
important findings

• The WML Project definitely encouraged the women
  mayors in networking or contacting other women
  mayors directly.
• Two thirds of women mayors think that internet
  and e-mail are very efficient ways to communicate
  and stay in touch.
• However only some of them used the WML web page,
  and considered that our communication by email
  was the list serve.

18
The GEM methodology questionnaire - the most
important findings

• Referring to the gender related issues, women
  mayors involvement was rather personal than
  institutional.
• Most of them mentioned that the WML Project
  influenced their official statements in some
  points, but it hasnt usually influenced the city
  hall priorities and agendas by now.

19
The need assessment questionnaire - the most
important findings

• the additional meetings were generally organized
  for the gender issues reasons
• the main reason for having the national networks
  is the need for training on different areas of
  interest like project management, economic and
  financial management, gender and discrimination
  issues, women's rights and interests, lobbying
  issues, youth and young women's problems, and the
  exchange of experience, information
• priority issues for the national networks the
  status of women in elections, decision making
  in local authorities, campaigning and promotion
  of women mayors

20
The need assessment questionnaire - the most
important findings

• the main reasons for having the international
  networks joint projects, developing
  social/public services, cross border/international
  partnership and cooperation, and training for
  women in ICT, management and entrepreneurship
• priority issues for the international networks
  women in local authorities, in local communities
  and the status of women in EU personal
  development of women in public position
  legislation and budget, funding municipal
  infrastructure employment of (young) women,
  human rights, poverty, gender policies