Description:
This project aims to address the challenges of socio-economic inclusion and women's safety in Tunisian medinas, particularly in M’saken, Mahdia, Sousse, and Kairouan, while integrating climate change adaptation measures and access to water. The project seeks to promote the socio-economic empowerment of women residing in the medinas by improving public spaces and strengthening the capacities of municipalities to integrate gender considerations into their sustainable urban planning processes.
The project's activities include: 1) online communication and awareness campaigns on the inclusion and engagement of women in the medinas, as well as strengthening the capacities of Tunisian municipalities to integrate women's needs into city governance ; 2) identifying local NGOs led by women to manage and animate rehabilitated spaces ; 3) creating products aimed at capturing, documenting, and sharing lessons learned, best practices, and impacts achieved during the first phase of the Femmedina Inclusive City Program, to demonstrate the importance of gender integration in public space planning and to enable the replication of the project's successes in other regions ; 4) training for municipal executives and staff on integrating a gender perspective into governance and urban planning, as well as knowledge and experience exchanges with other Tunisian cities and international city networks, including Canadian cities pioneering inclusive urban development.
Expected Results:
The expected outcomes for this project include: 1) increased integration of women's perspectives and needs in decision-making regarding urban planning, taking into account climate risks, access to water, and gender-based violence (GBV) ; 2) strengthened socio-economic empowerment and safety of women through interventions in public spaces that are sensitive to climate adaptation ; 3) enhanced capacities of Tunisian municipalities to integrate women's needs into city governance related to climate adaptation, access to water, and GBV, particularly through an exchange framework and cross-fertilization involving Canadian cities such as Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, which are considered pioneers in inclusive urban development.