{"id":6299,"date":"2020-11-27T06:05:57","date_gmt":"2020-11-27T06:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huairou.org\/?page_id=6299"},"modified":"2021-04-05T11:48:39","modified_gmt":"2021-04-05T11:48:39","slug":"engendering-local-governance","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/huairou.org\/staging\/engendering-local-governance\/","title":{"rendered":"Engendering Local Governance"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row&#8221; el_class=&#8221;bg-banner&#8221;][vc_column][vc_row_inner css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1588239617067{padding-top: 200px !important;padding-bottom: 200px !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Engendering Local Governance&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221; el_class=&#8221;custom-h2&#8243;][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_class=&#8221;no-padding&#8221;][vc_column][vc_row_inner css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1606716753750{padding-top: 50px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}&#8221; el_class=&#8221;no-padding&#8221;][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]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 &#8211; residents and local authorities.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s leadership at the community level and their representation in decision-making positions.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1606718742370{margin-top: 0px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column el_class=&#8221;local-governance-sec&#8221;][vc_row_inner css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1606719558008{margin-bottom: 0px !important;background-color: #969151 !important;}&#8221; el_class=&#8221;white-color&#8221;][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Empowering Grassroots Women in Decision Making Process&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][vc_column_text]Engendering local governance is one of the key areas of importance to the Huairou Commission&#8217;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:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>as partners in aiding governments in program implementation, especially in those targeting community level development and social service delivery to at risk groups<\/li>\n<li>as decision makers, advisors and experts in steering local development programs grounded on local evidence<\/li>\n<li>to track accountability and transparency in government decisions and commitments<\/li>\n<li>to lobby allocation of adequate funding to ensure implementation at the local and community level<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner el_class=&#8221;engendering-image&#8221; width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;6342&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1607600687517{background-color: #969151 !important;}&#8221;][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text el_class=&#8221;white-color&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p class=\"revert engendring-bot\" style=\"position: relative; top: -50px;\">(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.<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=&#8221;yes&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1607603210402{margin-top: 0px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1607675786769{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}&#8221;][vc_row_inner equal_height=&#8221;yes&#8221;][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1607675907043{padding: 15px !important;background-color: #f1813b !important;}&#8221;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Grassroots Women as Agents of Transparency and Accountability&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|text_align:left|color:%23ffffff&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221; el_class=&#8221;mt-0&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1607603382092{margin-top: 0px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1607603359754{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}&#8221;]<span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">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.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1607605480165{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;}&#8221;]<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">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\u2019s experiences and perceptions of corruption and governance, and the piloting of innovative programming.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">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.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1607675823162{background-color: #942235 !important;}&#8221;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;6474&#8243; img_size=&#8221;medium&#8221; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; el_class=&#8221;adj-img1&#8243;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Grassroots Women Train Local Governments on Sustainable Development Policies&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|text_align:left|color:%23ffffff&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1607679920121{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1612005218284{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;}&#8221;]<span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">WAGUCHA, in Honduras, signed an agreement with local government authorities to collaborate in monitoring implementation of global policy \u202fframeworks. Following the agreement, WAGUCHA has\u202f convened\u202ftrainings\u202fof local government officials on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda,\u202fthe 2015-2030\u202f Sendai \u202fFramework \u202ffor Disaster Risk Reduction,\u202fand \u202fthe\u202f 2012\u202f FAO \u202fVoluntary \u202fGuidelines on \u202fResponsible\u202f Governance of\u202f Tenure of\u00a0 Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1606718811922{margin-top: 0px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column][vc_row_inner css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1606718832745{margin-bottom: 30px !important;background-color: #4eb7b2 !important;}&#8221; el_class=&#8221;white-color&#8221;][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Grassroots Women as Policy Influencers and Experts&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][vc_column_text]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\u2019 capacities and provide technical assistance to engage in global, regional and national decision making and policy fora.<\/p>\n<p>We work to ensure grassroots women\u2019s 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\u2019 commitments and partners in delivering the Agenda 2030 objectives.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;6344&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner equal_height=&#8221;yes&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1606470018139{margin-bottom: 30px !important;}&#8221; el_class=&#8221;dark-color&#8221;][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1606469636994{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;border-radius: 3px !important;}&#8221;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;6337&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Grassroots Women Train to\u202fMonitor\u202fLocal Policies&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In 2017, the \u202fShibuye\u202f 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 \u202fconvened \u202fthree 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\u202f Roasterman, where 54\u202f additional\u202f women leaders were\u202ftrained,\u202fand they \u202fconvened\u202f three\u00a0 Local to Local dialogues with their Country Government. As a result, SCHW\u00a0 women\u2019s\u00a0 groups\u202f monitor \u202fpolicy\u00a0 implementation\u00a0 and partnership with government officials and bodies\u00a0 and is also on government\u2019s 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\u202fbenefit. 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\u202f.<\/span><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1607599871058{padding: 15px !important;}&#8221;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;6462&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Safer\u202fCities\u202ffor Women and Girls&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Occupying public spaces is critical for women to organize, fully\u202f participate\u202fin their communities and enjoy\u202f opportunities\u202f that cities offer, such as employment and access to health and educational services. The\u202f Huairou\u202f Commission works to make cities safer\u00a0 for women by reclaiming public spaces, increasing women\u2019s\u202fmobility\u202f and diminishing a culture of fear. The\u202f Huairou \u202fCommission has worked on safety issues since\u202f 2002,\u202f\u202fand\u202f has been involved in over 15 international conferences on women\u2019s safety and violence against women. In addition to promoting safety audit trainings and cross-regional exchanges on grassroots women\u2019s organizations\u2019\u00a0 best practices, the\u202f Huairou \u202fCommission also focuses on partnership building with authorities at local,\u202fregional\u202fand international levels, to include grassroots women&#8217;s recommendations to safety policies. Currently, \u202fthe\u202f Huairou Commission is part of the Global Coalition for\u202f Safer Cities and Public Spaces for Women and Girls that is a leading civil society member in\u202fmonitoring\u202f the Gender Based Violence Pillar of the Beijing Platform for Action 25th Anniversary Campaign.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row&#8221; el_class=&#8221;bg-banner&#8221;][vc_column][vc_row_inner css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1588239617067{padding-top: 200px !important;padding-bottom: 200px !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Engendering Local Governance&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221; el_class=&#8221;custom-h2&#8243;][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_class=&#8221;no-padding&#8221;][vc_column][vc_row_inner css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1606716753750{padding-top: 50px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}&#8221; el_class=&#8221;no-padding&#8221;][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6299","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/huairou.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/huairou.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/huairou.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/huairou.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/huairou.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6299"}],"version-history":[{"count":50,"href":"https:\/\/huairou.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7168,"href":"https:\/\/huairou.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6299\/revisions\/7168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/huairou.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}