Training programme under the third phase of the Women-Friendly Cities Programme (WFC), implemented with the financial support of the European Union, under the leadership of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and in partnership with the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (UMT), are ongoing. Through training sessions delivered to UMT staff in Ankara, the programme aims to strengthen UMT’s role in guiding municipalities on equality-oriented policies.
ANKARA, TÜRKİYE – Under the coordination of the Directorate for EU Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and with the financial support of the European Union, the leadership of UNFPA, and in partnership with the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (UMT), a comprehensive training programme is being delivered to UMT staff under the third phase of the “Women-Friendly Cities” Programme, which aims to strengthen local governance systems to ensure that women can live equally, safely, and without barriers across all areas of urban life.
During the second phase of the training programme at UMT, held between 23–26 March and 13–20 April, topics such as gender-responsive data analysis, budgeting, and resource mobilization were covered. These training sessions aim to enable the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (UMT) to provide guidance for institutional strengthening in local governments in these areas.
Participatory Governance, Local Equality Action Plans, and a Data-Driven Approach
The training sessions held at UMT provided comprehensive technical knowledge on participatory strategic planning, as well as the development and implementation processes of Local Equality Action Plans (LEAPs), one of the key tools of local equality mechanisms. In addition, participants received in-depth guidance on gender-responsive data collection, analysis, evaluation, and reporting. It was also emphasized that developing policies based on reliable, sex-disaggregated data is critical for identifying diverse urban needs and ensuring more inclusive and equitable municipal service delivery.
Zehra Tosun, an expert from the WFC Programme, stated: “Through this training programme, we are working to ensure that municipalities in all 81 provinces prepare their local equality action plans in a participatory and data-driven manner that truly responds to the needs of their provinces.”
Another WFC Programme expert, Sezin Üskent, highlighted the need for collaboration between municipalities and civil society organizations: “Within the scope of our training sessions, we aim to ensure that municipalities and civil society organizations take part together in participatory processes and that residents are also included in decision-making processes.”
UMT Expert Hüseyin Yılmaz emphasized: “It is critical for municipalities to institutionalize gender equality and develop a common language on this issue. The strengthened human resources through these training sessions will translate into higher-quality consultancy and mentorship for municipalities.”
UMT Urban Planner Didem Musapaşaoğlu noted: “Women should take a proactive role in municipal planning processes. Only then can urban services become more responsive to women’s needs and evolve into a sustainable and equitable structure.”
UMT Strategy Development Expert Bert Canbolat stated: “Strategic plans and performance programmes find their true value only when they place gender equality at their core and are integrated into implementation. When used effectively, these tools can transform equality from a principle into a way of life reflected in society.”
Strengthening UMT’s Strategic Role
The training programme carried out in partnership between the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye and UNFPA further reinforce UMT’s institutional role in guiding local governments and shaping capacity development processes. Through these efforts, TBB is strengthening its position as a key actor leading the localization of gender equality focused policies and enhancing the implementation capacities of municipalities in this area.
Within the scope of the programme coordinated by the Directorate for EU Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, with 5 million Euros of financial support from the European Union, and implemented by UNFPA Türkiye in partnership with the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye, 25 municipalities from 7 regions of Türkiye will work together to ensure gender equality at the local level by November 2027.
