DIPUTACIÓN DE BARCELONA

The initiative is part of the long-standing commitment of the Provincial Council of Barcelona to promote gender-balanced representation in local politics. This is achieved through the creation of spaces for knowledge sharing and exchanges among women in political leadership roles and the establishment of alliances and networks among women involved in politics. 

In particular, this initiative builds upon the outcomes of the decentralized cooperation project conducted between the Provincial Council of Barcelona and the Institut Marocain pour le Développement Local (IMADEL) during the years 2017 and 2019. The project mobilized over 20 local governments in the Marrakech-Safi region and the Province of Barcelona to work on the implementation of the advances outlined in Morocco’s 2015 Organic Communal Law, focusing on citizen participation and promoting equal opportunities. Notably, this project strongly emphasized the principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a guiding framework for the development, execution, and assessment of local public policies. It was honored with the prestigious PLATFORMA Awards 2020, recognizing excellence in the field of decentralized cooperation.

The Local4Action HUB Diputación de Barcelona initiative is led by the Provincial Council of Barcelona and is being carried out in collaboration with l’Institut Marocain pour le Développement Local (IMADEL), a prominent municipal entity in Morocco, along with 16 Moroccan local governments from the regions of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Fes-Meknes, Marrakech Safi, and Drâa-Tafilalet, as well as municipalities in the Province of Barcelona.

The Local4Action HUB initiative primarily involves municipalities and local governments from Morocco and Spain, with a focus on fostering the participation of elected female representatives from Mediterranean countries. It aims to address the common challenge of achieving gender equality and enhancing women’s political engagement at the local level across various regions globally. The initiative establishes dialogue spaces for elected and aspiring female leaders from Moroccan local governments, those on the southern Mediterranean coast, and municipalities in the Province of Barcelona. It also aims to engage with international stakeholders like PLATFORMA-CMRE and UCLG Africa to further women’s political participation.

Specific actions will be implemented to progressively increase women’s access to local political leadership roles and strengthen their leadership. The initiative also envisions the involvement of civil society organizations dedicated to gender equality and academic institutions from Mediterranean countries and can potentially be extended to other regions, including Latin America.

Expected Outcomes

• Women participants gain access to knowledge and tools for entering decision-making positions at the local level, increasing women’s presence in politics, and strengthening their leadership.
• Women participants commit to advocating political influence strategies to enhance women’s access to and consolidation in local political leadership positions. 
• Women participants create a knowledge-sharing space and a network of mutual support among women involved in local politics, open to the participation of other women, both in the Mediterranean region and worldwide.

The initiative is focused on promoting women’s political participation at the local level. It is based on the assumption that women leaders in local governments can challenge gender stereotypes, serve as role models for young women, and promote the integration of gender perspectives in all areas of public policy.

Link to Agenda 2030

• SDG 5 – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
• SDG 11- Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable
• SDG 16 – Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development
• SDG 17 – Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

Link to the UCLG Pact for the Future of Humanity 

• Commitments for People
  • C1 – Guarantee equal rights and opportunities for all and respect and celebrate diversity.
  • C2 – Foster universal and equitable access to public services, including housing, health, education and participation in cultural and political life. 
  • C7 – Ensure that women and girls are fully empowered to achieve their full potential as citizens and foster a feminist way of going about politics
  • C8 – Contribute to citizens’ living in safe, peaceful and violence-free environments, including in domestic settings. 
  • C9 – Foster open, accessible and verifiable information and data to promote inclusion, education and communication. 

• Commitments for Government
  • C1 – Promote inclusive, participatory, responsible and accountable multilevel governance leading to global action. 
  • C3 – Protect and promote all public institutions, ensure the integrity of the justice system, and ensure equal access for all citizens. 
  • C7 – Call for a feminist leadership and power sharing at all levels of government.

Link to other Global Agendas

• Fourth World Conference on Women, which took place in Beijing in 1995 and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

Key activities

• Promoting the political participation of women in local decision-making bodies.
  • Diagnostic on “gender perspective and impact in Morocco and the empowerment of women in the political sphere” (Morocco).
• Dialogue and Exchange Spaces:
  • Opening seminar of the EqualMED project (Marrakech).
  • Virtual seminar on “The political situation of local elected women in Morocco and Barcelona.”
  • Creation of dialogue spaces (Marrakech).
  • Visit by Moroccan elected women to the municipalities of Barcelona and a meeting with elected women from the province of Barcelona (Barcelona).
  • Closing seminar (Marrakech).
• Strengthening the capacities and learning of local governments.
  • Gender training cycle for personnel from public administrations and political representatives (Morocco).
  • Specific training for members of the IPECAG bodies and the Equality officer (Morocco).
• Promoting decentralized cooperation between municipalities in the province of Barcelona and Moroccan Communes.
  • Definition and development of pilot projects (Morocco/Barcelona).

• Local4Action HUB Diputación de Barcelona – Equalmed Official website
• Visit of Moroccan elected women to the province of Barcelona (May 2022) Video