Engendering Local Governance

Local governance is the decision-making space closest to the people. It enables people to have access and engage with public authority and institutions on questions of local development, such as access to basic services, community infrastructure improvements, or fulfillment of rights and obligations of both – residents and local authorities.

Although women make up more than half the population in most countries, they continue to be excluded in most decision making structure and process. Following the 2018 Global World Mayors research, only around 20% of mayor seats are held by women, illustrating the gap between women’s leadership at the community level and their representation in decision-making positions.

Empowering Grassroots Women in Decision Making Process

Engendering local governance is one of the key areas of importance to the Huairou Commission’s members as decisions on development policy and resources are made at the local government level. Grassroots women want to be actively involved in local governance:

as partners in aiding governments in program implementation, especially in those targeting community level development and social service delivery to at risk groups
as decision makers, advisors and experts in steering local development programs grounded on local evidence
to track accountability and transparency in government decisions and commitments
to lobby allocation of adequate funding to ensure implementation at the local and community level

(Re)positioning grassroots women within development and governance processes not only raises their political and social status, but has a sustained impact on their ability to access services and acquire and retain control over resources.

Grassroots Women as Agents of Transparency and Accountability

Grassroots women organize collectively, combining their determination and organisational skills with practical knowledge, and build bottom up political will to change that drives their bargaining power with the authorities. They host Local to Local dialogues to hold authorities accountable to development commitments but also to steer authorities to invest in community set priorities, to work with communities as partners, and also to monitor local budget spending.

When grassroots women organize to design and implement anti-corruption strategies, they build gender-sensitive governance that leads to improved service delivery, increased access to justice and decreased levels of corruption and poverty. However, grassroots groups have faced numerous challenges, even violent backlash, in specifically directing their work towards fighting corruption. For many, corruption is socially embedded and part of a larger system of power dynamics and institutions that fail to recognize or institutionalize meaningful participation of women and communities. Grassroots women have begun to broaden their anti-corruption strategies to focus on structural change, where long-term success is defined by influencing institutions on a systemic level. A partnership with the UNDP Global Anti-corruption Initiative (GAIN) supported the creation of an evidence base of grassroots women’s experiences and perceptions of corruption and governance, and the piloting of innovative programming.

Taking leadership in local governance provides that grassroots women are recognised as equal partners in planning, designing, implementing, and monitoring public programs that turns the tide of development from outside-driven agendas toward the actual agendas of women and poor communities.

Grassroots Women Train Local Governments on Sustainable Development Policies

WAGUCHA, in Honduras, signed an agreement with local government authorities to collaborate in monitoring implementation of global policy  frameworks. Following the agreement, WAGUCHA has  convened trainings of local government officials on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, the 2015-2030  Sendai  Framework  for Disaster Risk Reduction, and  the  2012  FAO  Voluntary  Guidelines on  Responsible  Governance of  Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security.   

Grassroots Women as Policy Influencers and Experts

Huairou Commission proactively supports grassroots women leaders in scaling their capacities as Agents of Change not only at the community level but also at the political local, national, regional and global levels. We host trainings to build leaders’ capacities and provide technical assistance to engage in global, regional and national decision making and policy fora.

We work to ensure grassroots women’s knowledge of development is recognized and appreciated at the global level, positioning leaders as experts in their own right. We solicit speaking roles for sharing their practices, advocating for grassroots women to be included as experts, and deepening their understanding of global and regional policies adopted by their governments, better equipping them to monitor governments’ commitments and partners in delivering the Agenda 2030 objectives.

Grassroots Women Train to Monitor Local Policies

In 2017, the  Shibuye  Community Health Workers (SCHW) in Kenya trained 60 grassroots women as policy advocates able to track the implementation of county and national policies and budgets. The members  convened  three public forums inviting the local government members to explain government policies and the Kakamega County Integrated Plan to the communities. The process was replicated in  Roasterman, where 54  additional  women leaders were trained, and they  convened  three Local to Local dialogues with their Country Government. As a result, SCHW women’s groups  monitor  policy implementation and partnership with government officials and bodies and is also on government’s record for its work to ensure that devolved development programming and investments are undertaken with the knowledge and involvement of the communities they are intended to benefit. Polycom, a women-led community group in Kibera, replicated a similar initiative, sending four grassroots women leaders to map devolved funds and decision-making who in turn worked with the larger groups to convert their knowledge into community development opportunities .

Safer Cities for Women and Girls

Occupying public spaces is critical for women to organize, fully  participate in their communities and enjoy  opportunities  that cities offer, such as employment and access to health and educational services. The  Huairou  Commission works to make cities safer for women by reclaiming public spaces, increasing women’s mobility  and diminishing a culture of fear. The  Huairou  Commission has worked on safety issues since  2002,  and  has been involved in over 15 international conferences on women’s safety and violence against women. In addition to promoting safety audit trainings and cross-regional exchanges on grassroots women’s organizations’ best practices, the  Huairou  Commission also focuses on partnership building with authorities at local, regional and international levels, to include grassroots women’s recommendations to safety policies. Currently,  the  Huairou Commission is part of the Global Coalition for  Safer Cities and Public Spaces for Women and Girls that is a leading civil society member in monitoring  the Gender Based Violence Pillar of the Beijing Platform for Action 25th Anniversary Campaign.

Engendering Local Governance