This news article is a production distributed through Caribbean News Service. It is made freely available to your media and we encourage publishing and redistribution, giving credit to Caribbean News Service (CNS).
PARIS, France, Dec 10 2015 – Jamaican farmer, Mildred Crawford was among speakers at a “Women, Leadership and Development” event held at Paris City Hall, in the framework of UCLG World Council and the COP 21.
The Mayor of Paris and Chair of the UCLG Standing Committee on Gender Equality, Anne Hidalgo, hosted the event.
The session was a unique opportunity for locally elected women, local government practitioners and associations to discuss the role that gender equality at local level will play in the achievement of the major international development and sustainability agendas.
“The gender equality agenda is key to feed the world. Small women producers play an instrumental role in feeding cities. The empowerment of women in the management of agriculture is very important to fight against climate change,” Crawford, who is also President, Jamaica Network of Rural Women Producers, Vice President, Caribbean Network of Rural Women, said.
Opening the event, the Mayor of Paris called for increased representation of women in local institutions, saying “we can’t exclude half of humanity from political decision-making”.
She went on to add, however, that “getting elected is just the first step in changing the world for women”, and praised the role of women’s networks in strengthening role of elected local women across the world.
Mayors, local leaders and representatives of civil society the participated in three roundtable debates. The first on “Local policies and services for equality: local support for SDG 5” explored the role of local policy in the achievement of gender equality and the 2030 Agenda. The second, “A gender-sensitive agenda for Habitat III”, looked at how to harness the Habitat III Conference to put gender equality at the centre of city planning and governance, and the third, “Empowered women: the foundation of resilient cities”, co-organized with C40 Cities, asked how women can contribute their priorities skills and knowledge to build a more sustainable future.
