A Global Movement for Gender Equality: Launching the Cities for CEDAW Campaign
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Descripción
On 31 March 2026, the Global Cities Hub, the Cities for CEDAW History and Futures ProjectEl Geneva Human Rights Hub y el Red de Ciudades por los Derechos Humanos co-organized an event to launch the Cities for CEDAW campaign globally, alongside a joint publication “Introducing the Cities for CEDAW campaign”, which explains what being a city for CEDAW entails and how to join.
Why CEDAW Matters for Cities and Regions
El Convención sobre la eliminación de todas las formas de discriminación contra la mujer (CEDAW) is an international treaty adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly and ratified by States. It sets out binding obligations for states to eliminate discrimination and establishes a monitoring system to track progress. As Esther Eghobamien-Mshelia, Vice Chair of the CEDAW Committee, emphasized, CEDAW is a legal instrument and a roadmap for cities to create inclusive, safe, and thriving urban spaces for women and girls.
Key articles of CEDAW address critical areas such as:
- Non-discrimination and state obligations (Article 2)
- Equality and dignity (Articles 3, 5)
- Political and public participation (Articles 7, 8)
- Economic rights and social life (Articles 11, 13)
Despite its global reach, CEDAW’s implementation has often been limited at the local level. Cities, as the primary providers of services and regulators of public life, play a crucial role in turning CEDAW’s principles into tangible change. The campaign seeks to bridge this gap by encouraging cities and regions to adopt CEDAW at their subnational level through local ordinances and to mainstream gender equality within their administration and on their territory. The CEDAW Committee has already begun engaging with local governments, recognizing their unique position in promoting and protecting women and girl’s rights.
Cities Leading the Way
Chanel Smith, Senior Advisor at the County of Los Angeles (United States of America), shared how the County became a pioneer in CEDAW implementation. In 2022, the county adopted a CEDAW ordinance, launching a gender impact assessment across 39 departments through its Women and Girl’s Initiative. Each department came up with five-year gender equity goals tied to performance evaluations, ensuring accountability and institutionalization. The Initiative carried out capacity building to ensure the achievement of those goals and included strengthening data collection, enhancing community engagement, analysing service delivery and expanding career pathways for women and girls.
The biggest challenge was, of course, changing political priorities. This is where institutionalization really plays a key role: by tying equity goals to performance evaluations, gender equality was institutionalized in LA County.
Jackie Jones, City Councillor of the City of Cardiff (United Kingdom), discussed Cardiff’s leadership in Europe on adopting CEDAW.
The Welsh capital’s journey began with a 2022 political commitment, leading to a 2023 motion that integrated CEDAW into the municipal administration. The motion included diversity and inclusion targets for the workforce, gender pay and pension gap initiatives, gender-based violence strategies, and educational initiatives to raise awareness of women’s rights. Cardiff’s success highlights the power of political will, civil society collaboration, and public engagement in driving gender equality.
Tools and Resources for Joining the Campaign
Soon-Young Yoon, Founder and Co-director of the Cities for CEDAW History and Futures Project, provided a roadmap for cities and regions interested in joining the campaign. Cities need to assess baseline data cross departments and collaborate and build local coalitions with diverse groups and stakeholders (including within local governments) before legislating.
Local and regional governments actions can contribute to change social norms and political culture more widely. They can also connect with other cities and participate in UN and other multilateral fora with tools such as Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs).
The Cities for CEDAW History and Futures Project provides:
- Training materials and case studies (available on citiesforcedaw.org, cedawrising.org and on their Youtube channel)
- Examples of local ordinances and best practices
- Guidance on institutionalization
To join the campaign, contact the Cities for CEDAW History and Futures Project at cities4cedaw@gmail.com
Monitoring: The DeCiDE Project
Marshall Wanimo introduced the DeCiDE project as a useful blueprint for data collection, assessment and monitoring of gender equality. The project, funded by the EU and created by the Human Rights Cities Network and the Global Parliament of Mayors, co-creates with local governments themselves a standardized monitoring system for human rights in European cities.
Key features:
- 10 human rights indicators, 8 disaggregated by gender
- Focus on access to services, non-discrimination, and democratic participation
- Disaggregated data to track progress for vulnerable groups, including women and girls
Marshall emphasized that CEDAW demands exactly that of states: “Are women’s rights realized in practice?” To be able to answer, you must have data and measurements! The DeCiDE project provides cities with a structured tool to track progress, report, and hold themselves accountable.
Key Takeaways and the Path Forward
Speakers stressed the importance of:
- Local ordinances for legal accountability
- Institutionalization to ensure sustainability
- Collaboration between local, national, and international actors
The Cities for CEDAW model could be scaled and replicated, not just for gender equality but as a blueprint for other human rights treaties.
Cities must act
The Cities for CEDAW campaign invites cities and regions to join this growing movement. By adopting local ordinances, institutionalizing gender equality, and collaborating with civil society and international bodies, every city can become a beacon of gender equality. The future of gender equality is being written one city at a time. The time to act is now.
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