On the way to CSW69: Local and regional governments lead the way to equality, localizing of Beijing+30

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On the way to CSW69: Local and regional governments lead the way to equality, localizing of Beijing+30

Bringing the local vision to the global arena: leading the way towards equality

For over a century, the Municipal Movement has championed equality, justice, and empowerment, from cities and territories to the global stage, contributing to the processes that led to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and working for the last 30 years towards the localization of its goals, anchored in equitable local public service provision. As the the Beijing Platform for Action celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2025, the constituency of local and regional governments will gather from next 10-21 March at the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) to reaffirm their commitment to its strategic objectives and mobilize to accelerate women and girls’ rights and equality everywhere.

Localizing the Beijing Platform for Action and SDG 5

Communities, democracy and the resilience of our planet cannot thrive without equality, and equality can only be achieved through a radical redistribution of power. Committed to making this vision a reality, local and regional governments are at the frontline of sustainable development, crucial to realizing the global agendas for equality. Based on proximity, local public policies and service provision at local and regional levels—from healthcare to education, climate resilience to social protection—are indispensable to achieving the objectives of the Beijing Platform of Action and the SDGs. The contributions of local and regional governments to equality, although often overshadowed at the global level, are immense, and based around the three axes that are also the cornerstones of the UCLG Pact for the Future for Humanity: people, planet, and government.

As the closest sphere of government to communities and defenders of the rights of all, including women and girls as well as marginalized groups, local and regional governments are uniquely positioned to co-create local care systems and implement empowering and gender-responsive policies that leave no one behind in partnerships with all sectors of society. In this perspective, the feminist municipal movement aligns with Beijing+30’s emphasis on addressing the intersecting forms of discrimination that impact women differently based on race, ethnicity, age, disability, and socioeconomic status. This includes inclusive decision-making that advances economic empowerment, fights violence, ensures access to education, culture and healthcare, and supports lifelong learning and participation in public and cultural life.

Local and regional governments are also the most responsive level of governance, which allow them to secure policy-making that recognizes the connection between inequalities -including gender-based discrimination- and environmental degradation, and raises voices and concrete action to stand for climate justice. Women, particularly at the local level, are key to adapting to and mitigating climate change, and the local level is uniquely positioned to support their leadership in strengthening resilience.

Local and regional governments champion women's and inclusive participation in political and public life, which in turn strengthens political visions and development agendas focused on equality and care. Local institutions are pioneers in questioning entrenched or biased social norms and patriarchal power structures, and promoting institutional frameworks and mechanisms that enable women and marginalized communities to hold change and lead the transformative shift of cities and territories.

The priorities of the Feminist Municipal Movement

Marking the 30 years of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the CSW69 will provide an unique opportunity to bring forward cities and territories’ priorities for coming years towards a more sustainable, inclusive and fair future based on equality and rights.

These include:

Reaffirming human rights, political participation, and women’s leadership: Gender equality is a human right and women’s full and meaningful political participation is essential to achieving social justice and sustainable development. Without women in leadership, there can be no peace, no democracy, and no future.
Local care systems and public service provision: Building care systems based on equitable public service provision will guarantee that all women, girls and communities, regardless of their status, thrive through the provision of essential services: housing, healthcare, water, sanitation, culture, education, care services, and food sovereignty.
Gender-responsive climate action and resilience: Women are at the center of climate change and must be at the centre of climate responses. Their leadership in shaping climate policies and solutions will ensure resilient, sustainable communities.
Safeguarding democracy and peace: Women’s political participation must be placed as a cornerstone of safeguarding democracy and peace. As recent years have demonstrated, women’s leadership strengthens social cohesion and fosters recovery, especially in times of crisis.
Strengthen Local-national Partnerships: The Beijing+30 review calls for enhanced collaboration between municipal, national, and international actors to ensure local governments have the resources and political support needed to advance gender equality.

Cities and territories calling to a new multilateralism rooted in equality

As we prepare to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action in 2025, and defending equality-based local policies as keys to building societies where both people and the planet can thrive, where democracy can flourish, and where trust is regained, local and regional governments will call for bold action and the full engagement of the LRG constituency in a diverse range of activities and sessions, to be celebrated in New York in the context of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and beyond.

Their specific call will include reshaping the multilateral system for gender equality to ensure women are at the center, and local and regional governments are recognized as key actors in achieving the Beijing Platform for Action and the 2030 Agenda; reforming the global financial architecture from the perspective of redistribution, decentralization, and redefinition of care based on renewed public responsibility; empowering women’s participation at all levels by supporting women local leaders, as pivotal in advancing gender equality; and supporting local policies of care and well-being by promoting comprehensive care policies and systems emphasizes shared responsibility not only between men and women, but also involving governments.

The road to gender equality is paved with local action, women’s leadership, and global solidarity. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, let us recognize the transformative power of local and regional governments to localize its objectives and lead the way to a more equal, just, and sustainable world and stand ready to partner with the global community, to ensure that no woman, no girl, no community, and no territory is left behind.

→ More information on the full programme of the LRG delegation to CSW69 and beyond very soon. Stay tuned!

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