WOMEN-FRIENDLY CITY?

Women-Friendly Cities are inclusive urban spaces where the rights and needs of all residents, especially women and girls, are taken into account, regardless of age, gender, origin, or physical, economic, or social circumstances and where everyone can live safely. Women-Friendly Cities aim to ensure that all urban residents have equal, safe, and unhindered access to fundamental rights and services, primarily essential services like health, education, and social services, as well as urban infrastructure, transportation and employment and women can effectively participate in planning, programming, decision-making, and implementation processes in all areas, in line with the principle of equality between women and men.

The 3rd phase of the Women-Friendly Cities Programme, which supports the empowerment of women in all aspects of life in Türkiye, began at the end of 2024 under the coordination of the Directorate for EU Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, being implemented by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in  partnership with the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye( UMT) , with the financial support of the European Union. In this phase, 25 municipalities across Türkiye, together with numerous civil society organizations active in these cities, will jointly steer processes of participatory local governance, equality-oriented service delivery, and institutional transformation.