Women-Friendly Cities: Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality
The 3rd phase of the Women-Friendly Cities Programme, involving 25 provincial municipalities from across Türkiye’s 7 regions, is moving forward at full speed. As part of this three-year programme, implemented with the financial support of the European Union, in partnership with United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA Türkiye, and the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye, provincial municipalities and local civil society organizations operating in these provinces continue their efforts to promote women’s empowerment and gender equality in all areas, in line with local needs and dynamics. Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality is one of them.
ŞANLIURFA, Türkiye - Under the coordination of the Directorate for EU Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the financial support of the European Union, in partnership with the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye, and implemented by United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA Türkiye, the third phase of the Women-Friendly Cities Programme continues with the participation of 25 municipalities from 7 regions of Türkiye. Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality is one of those municipalities.
Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality continues its efforts to support women in all areas of life, increase their visibility and vocational skills to ensure their participation in the workforce, and establish gender equality in the city. Having also taken part in the first two phases of the Programme, the Municipality resolutely continues its rights-based work to enhance social awareness among women in the city and expand their opportunities in health, education, and employment.
Women are empowered through trainings
At the forefront of these efforts are comprehensive trainings organized by the Municipality to support women’s well-being and economic independence. Güleser Bayraktar, Head of the Women and Family Services Department at Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality, states: “What we fundamentally try to achieve through these trainings is to provide women with all the information they need to live healthily, both psychologically and physically,” underlining that they organize supportive trainings across many fields, particularly health, education, economy, and law. Furthermore, through two separate women's committees formed with the active participation of housewives, initiatives are carried out both to increase women's participation in social life and to enable them to assume more conscious and supportive roles within the family.
Carrying out numerous projects to increase female employment and economic empowerment, the Municipality supports women through free courses in various crafts, such as tile making, mosaic, leather crafting, copper relief, ceramic art, silver filigree, and string art (filography), offered in the workshops established within its own structure. While these workshops aim to enhance women’s vocational skills and integrate them into the workforce, hand-crafted products are also transformed into economic value through the cooperative established by the municipality.
Emine Delibalta, one of the trainees at the Leather Workshop, emphasizes that these workshops support women’s participation in both economic and social life, saying: “Housewives inevitably get overwhelmed over time spending so much time at home. Housework, chores, children, cleaning… Here, I both relieve stress and develop myself; it also provides very good financial support.”
By reaching women in different parts of the city through its workshops, the Municipality aims to help them acquire both hobbies and vocational skills. Derya Paydaş, a trainee at the Tile Workshop, highlights the inclusive impact of the workshops, stating: “Thanks to the workshops, employment opportunities have been provided both for our women living in rural areas and for women who already have a profession,” emphasizing the project's positive impact on women.
Women's Solidarity in the City
In addition to women’s economic empowerment, supporting their participation in decision-making processes is also among the Municipality's priorities. In line with this, the Municipality aims to establish a women’s commission in the city that brings together stakeholders from diverse sectors, including the press, civil society organizations, professional chambers, and the bar association. Through this commission, the objective is to build a collaborative space where women’s participation is supported, empowered, and female employment is increased.
Implemented by UNFPA Türkiye under the coordination of the Directorate for EU Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the financial support of the European Union and in partnership with the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye, the Women-Friendly Cities Programme will run until the end of 2027 and aims to ensure that change in women’s empowerment and gender equality starts at the local level. Within this framework, the programme seeks to scale up effective and sustainable good practices across Türkiye through the cooperation of 25 provincial municipalities and more than 200 civil society organizations operating in these provinces.
