Appropriate public policies need to be defined and implemented if gender equality is to become everyone’s responsibility in African cities and territories. Regional and local governments have the opportunity to take the movement for women’s emancipation further by adhering to the Charter of Regional and Local Authorities for Gender Equality. To give concrete form to the Charter, an Implementation Guide has been drawn up to provide the keys to action and the fulfillment of the commitments to which local and regional governments have subscribed.

Adhering to, appropriating and implementing the Charter is of vital importance from a political, socio-economic, environmental and governance standpoint for all African local authorities, if they are to effectively fulfill their mission of providing essential, high-quality services to their populations without leaving anyone behind. At the political level, integrating the principle of gender equality in the management and local decision-making will help to align with national and international guidelines, improve respect for the rights of all people, strengthen the citizenship of women and men, and cultivate democratic values.

The main objective of the Guide is to provide the Charter signatories with a practical, detailed tool to help them appropriate the provisions of this important document and apply them in their own territories. For it is at the local level, and through their proximity to local populations, that they can act most effectively to promote gender equality in access to productive resources, opportunities and decision-making.

See the Implementation Guide of the Local Authorities Charter for Gender Equality in Africa.