The second phase of the Femmedina Inclusive City Programme is set to commence in June 2023, focusing on the Tunisian cities of Sousse, Mahdia, M'saken, and Kairouan. The programme aims to address gender-based social and spatial inequalities within the Medinas while creating economic development opportunities for local women. The programme will be implemented with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
Building upon the completion of the first phase in Tunis in 2022, the Femmedina Inclusive City Programme Phase II will support the municipalities in engaging women and girls, mapping and analysing existing gender inequalities in public spaces within the Medinas, providing capacity-building activities, and renovating public spaces to promote women's economic empowerment and ensure their safety. This comprehensive programme is anticipated to run for a duration of 2.5 years.
Femmedina is a real opportunity for women in the Medina of Tunis to exercise their right to the city from the conception to the realization of public spaces. Femmedina has responded perfectly to the needs of inclusiveness and safety of public spaces and especially to the empowerment of local women.
Amel Meddeb, President of District, Medina of Tunis
The programme will be implemented between 2023 and 2025 in the Tunisian cities of Kairouan, Sousse, M'saken, and Mahdia, focusing on three key components:
- Integration of gender priorities into city policies and planning processes: Through participatory assessments involving local women's organisations, NGOs, business actors, and authorities, gender-specific barriers in the selected areas of the Medinas will be mapped. Policy recommendations and pilot interventions will be co-designed with stakeholders.
- Promotion of women's access to public spaces: Identified interventions will be implemented through cash-for-work programs with local women's organisations and direct procurement or implementation by Cities Alliance. These pilots aim to enhance women's safety and economic empowerment in the Medinas.
- Establishment of a framework for exchanging experiences between cities: The programme will develop a network of cities and officials to foster women's economic empowerment and safety in the Medinas. Training activities and events will be conducted to integrate women's needs into urban planning and design. Learning events across participating cities will share the initiative's results and experiences.
The key objectives of the programme are to:
- Collect and map sex-disaggregated data and gender-sensitive indicators in Tunisian Medinas through participatory approaches.
- Build the capacities of local and national authorities to design and implement gender-sensitive public spaces and urban policies.
- Improve women's economic empowerment and safety in Tunisian Medinas, thereby enhancing the overall social conditions of Medinas.
- Promote women's economic leadership and their participation in local decision-making processes.
By addressing these objectives, the programme aims to create inclusive and equitable urban environments that prioritise women's needs and contribute to their empowerment and well-being.
