Women's voices should be at the center of urban policies.
Modern.az reports that this was stated by Ana Falu, co-founder of the Latin American Women and Habitat Network, at the official closing ceremony of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) held in Baku.
Thanking the UN leadership, experts, and event participants, she stated that women's rights regarding housing, cities, and their living areas face serious obstacles due to numerous systemic discriminations.
“It is important to ensure that women's voices are heard and that they participate in decision-making.
Most urban planning and housing policies do not fully take into account a gender approach. This makes women's daily life needs invisible.”
A. Falu also emphasized that housing cannot be approached only as a living space:
“Housing, city, neighborhood, and territory are inseparable concepts. Gender-sensitive urban planning policy is of great importance in terms of reducing the burden of care, gender-based violence, and social inequalities. In addition, strengthening community-based care systems in areas where poverty prevails and in fragmented cities is also among the priority issues,” she noted.
