“Gender Equality, a Priority for Global Development”, a Global Conference for Elected Women

The Standing Committee is deeply convinced that gender equality is a fundamental right and an essential value. Not only are these rights to be firmly recognized by law, but they must be applied in aspects of every daily life: political, economic, social and cultural. This equality is essential for the existence of democracy.

The commitment of political officials is crucial in order to implement gender equality. In view of this, promoting decision-making by women is one of the Millennium Development Goals, an issue to which UCLG is wholly committed.

Bertrand Delanoƫ, Mayor of Paris, and Anne Hidalgo, 1st Deputy Mayor of Paris and Chair of the UCLG Standing Committee on Gender Equality, would like to extend a warm invitation to participate in the Global Conference of Local Elected Women that will take place from Wednesday 30 January to Friday 1 February 2013 at Paris City Hall.

This Conference is organised jointly by the women’s networks of UCLG, Metropolis, UCLGA (NLEWA), FLACMA (RedLamugol) and CEMR, and will allow us to debate on three main working areas of the Standing Committee:

– The participation of women in local decision-making;
– The role of women in innovative financing and access to basic services;
– Safer cities for women.

This Conference, entitled ‘;Gender Equality, a Priority for Global Development’ will aim at proposing ideas for reflection and a roadmap to ensure that the participation of women in decision making in all fields (politics, economy, financial and human development) becomes a priority to the Global Agenda Post-2015.