08/04/2024 | Writer: Kaos GL
The Women’s Coalition made a statement on their social media accounts addressing local governments.
The full text of the statement made by the Women’s Coalition on their social media accounts is as follows:
“The outcome of the March 31, 2024 Local Elections reflects a rejection of the growing centralization under a single-man system. It underscores the importance of addressing everyday concerns, long advocated for and politicized by women’s organizations. This signals a crucial opportunity to respond to these demands and bring about tangible change. And now it is time to fulfill this demand and organize a real change...
We call out to the new and re-elected municipalities; real change is achieved by governing the cities and districts we inhabit collectively...
For more than 20 years, the Women’s Coalition has worked tirelessly alongside women’s organizations across Turkey. Our goal is to implement equality policies and participatory mechanisms in municipalities. We partner with municipalities that are committed to listening to our voices and implementing promising practices. We firmly believe that true change can only happen when women are actively involved.
Based on our monitoring efforts, it’s evident that women are significantly underrepresented in decision-making bodies such as deputy mayor ships, council memberships, zoning, and budget committees. Therefore, we advocate for the increased presence of women in all levels of municipal administration, including decision-making roles. We call for the establishment of “gender equality commissions” within municipal assemblies and urge municipalities to declare their commitment to international conventions, particularly the Istanbul Convention, to uphold gender equality at the local level.
We urge municipalities ‘to join us in crafting roadmaps for change and the future collaboratively’. Together, let’s develop strategic plans aligned with local equality action plans and commit to monitoring and evaluating them annually alongside women’s organizations. Let’s work together to establish inclusive mechanisms and methods for genuine participation in municipal governance!
Before the elections, we emphasized that settling for the lesser of two evils was not an option. We are steadfast in our commitment. We believe that true transformation can only be achieved through collective efforts to shift the social will towards a governance model that prioritizes change.
We call upon municipalities aspiring to bring about change: Let’s work together to shape the future.”
Tags: human rights, women
