Overview
The Gender Equality Network provides a forum for members and interested parties to highlight challenges and to propose solutions in order to create more gender-inclusive cities. Groups and discussions about publications, ongoing activities, projects, and programmes are open to all interested members of the network.
Gender equality and women’s empowerment are crosscutting issues in UN-Habitat and are key priorities in the agency’s mandate. The UN-Habitat Gender Equality Secretariat works to ensure gender equality is systematically integrated into all UN-Habitat projects and programmes and to increase the number of cities formulating and implementing sustainable urbanization policies that promote gender equality and women’s empowerment at all levels.
Advisory Group on Gender Issues (AGGI)
To support gender mainstreaming and gender equality across all levels of UN-Habitat, the Advisory Group on Gender Issues (AGGI) was formed in 2012, following the World Urban Forum 6 in Naples, on the initiative of Huairou Commission, UN Habitat, and Norway with support from Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia.
The objective of AGGI is to advance women’s empowerment and gender equality in sustainable urban development. This is achieved through the provision of strategic guidance and advice, across policies, programme of work and budgeting at global, regional, national and local levels. This is done taking note of gender evaluations, resolutions and the wider UN context for coherent work on women’s empowerment and gender equality.
AGGI is guided by principles of integrity, transparency, trust and accountability. AGGI was actively involved in developing the Gender Equality Action Plan which serves as a guide to achieve UN-Habitat’s policy and plan for gender equality and the empowerment of women in urban and human settlements through its mission of supporting UN-Habitat to achieve and implement the NUA.
News and Stories
Featured Stories & Videos
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UN-Habitat, local government and the EU join forces to combat Gender-Based Violence in Mogadishu through COVID-19 awareness forums
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Nairobi Hub of the International Gender Champions launched
Featured Stories & Videos
Opinion Piece by UN Women and UN-Habitat: Spotlight on Gender
COVID-19 exposes the harsh realities of gender inequality in slums
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Maranao women build #GenerationEquality
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Jordanian women call for a playground and market in public space consultations
Related Sustainable Development Goals
Related Sustainable Development Goals
Donors and partners
UN-Habitat’s work on gender equality in cities is closely in conjunction with women and women’s organizations. UN-Habitat provides platforms and opportunities for grassroots women to have a voice in local urban development and the global urban agenda. UN-Habitat engages local women in all programmatic work, ensuring that women have a strong voice in policies and programmes that affect them. Furthermore, UN-Habitat engages global women’s networks to ensure that gender equality is at the heart of the urban agenda and urban development.
UN-Habitat works on gender equality with the UN system. UN-Women hold the substantive mandate for gender equality and provide strong collaboration at country and HQ level. Many country-level projects are run with UN-Women and other agencies working in gender equality, including UNDP and UNFPA. We provide urban expertise to ensure women have an equal voice and equal benefit from all UN work.