Feminist Cities. Advancing Care, Climate Justice, and Inclusive Urban Planning

Under the theme "It All Starts at Home: Local Actions for Sustainable Cities and Communities", WUF12 will explore the transformative power of localized actions in territories. It invites to collectively address global challenges, such as increasing poverty and inequality, climate change, armed conflict, the digital divide, and caring cities from a gender perspective.

The Forum will take place shortly after the United Nations Future Summit in September 2024, approximately five years before the deadline to meet the SDGs, highlighting the transformative role of sustainable cities and communities within the 2030 Global Sustainable Agenda. The following central axes of the Forum are highlighted. Importance of the role of subnational governments, governments, aligned with the demands of diverse communities the importance of fostering citizen participation and making sustainable development better responsive to local needs. The importance of the cultural, social, economic, and environmental dimensions that define our communities and caring cities with a gender, diversity, and multicultural approach for inclusive, safe, and sustainable cities for women.

This is how the Women and Habitat Network of Latin America and the Caribbean joins the debate with the networking event "Feminist Cities Advancing Care, Climate Justice, and Urban Planning" which aims to connect organizations, initiatives, activists, and experts who use or wish to start using a gender perspective to address urban problems. This event is a follow-up to "Feminist Perspectives on Cities, the Intersection of Theory and Praxis" organized by Women and Habitat Network of Latin America and the Caribbean at WUF11 in Katowice, which brought together more than 100 people from almost 30 countries.

Through dialogues developed with the audience, it is intended to collect key reflections on the achievements and the state of implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on gender justice, women's rights, and caring cities, where the Women and Habitat Network of Latin America and the Caribbean, with its agenda "Women for the City in Latin America", has played an important role in its implementation in several countries in the region. It is expected to learn about the initiatives and activists working in these fields, exchange good practices, and critically discuss the future challenges for a shared city and territories, with rights and gender equality.

The networking " Feminist Cities Advancing Care, Climate Justice, and Urban Planning" will feature guest panelists who will share experiences on issues in care and caring cities, urban mobility with a gender focus, urban services and equipment for everyday life, food systems and climate justice, economic autonomy for women, housing policies and programs with a gender perspective, environmental risks, and Inclusive Urban Planning as a Feminist Response.

Empowering Participants to Take Action: To inspire participants to translate the ideas gained from the event into concrete actions within their respective spheres of influence. Provide resources and support for participants to implement gender-inclusive urban initiatives in their communities. A methodology will be used that allows the participation of the attendees in the intervention so that no one is left behind in the debate.
Some topics are highlighted, with guests who will share their experiences and proposed challenges:

Moderator of the Discussion: Maité Rodríguez Blandón, Regional Coordinator of the Women and Habitat Network of Latin America and the Caribbean (RMyH LAC)

- Caring Cities. Objective: To explore strategies for planning, financing, and evaluating sustainable care initiatives in urban areas. Speaker Claudia López, former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia

- Grassroots Activism for Food Systems and Climate Justice. Objective: To foster discussions on gender-sensitive approaches to building sustainable food systems and combating climate change at the urban level. Speaker: Anne Wanjiru, Huairou Commission

- Inclusive Urban Planning. Objective: To highlight the importance of accessibility and safety and to promote the formation of alliances and networks among various actors. Speakers: Kalpana Visvanath, Safetinpin- Global Coalition for Safe Cities for Women and Girls and Zaira Muxi, Feminism Advisor, Habitat International Coalition -HIC-

Encourage Critical Debate and Reflection: To create opportunities for participants to critically examine the challenges and opportunities associated with integrating gender perspectives into urban planning and development. Ana Falú, CISCSA, Argentina