Women Mayors’ Link

1. Women Mayors’ Link Dina Loghin SEF FoundationRomania

2. The idea of the project: to create national networks of the women mayors in the 12 countries and territories of the Stability Pact (SP) Region, the regional network in the South East of Europe (SEE), and to network with women mayors from the developed UNECE countries

3. National networks have been created in 11 countries and territories of the Stability Pact (SP) Region: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, FYRoMacedonia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia in Kosovo/a there is only one woman mayor

4. GOVERNANCE AND PARTICIPATON Governance and Participation at the National Level Local Governance: Decentralization,Community Planning and ServiceProvision Governance and the Household/Family Participation and Governance in the Private Sector

5. The issue of decentralization highlights the importance of gender-balanced representation in official local government structures highlights the need for participatory mechanisms

6. Community Planning and Service Provision Social, Health and Education Services Planning (house design, zoning and site lay-out), Housing (waste removal, energy, water supplies and other urban services) and Transportation (women tend to rely much more heavily on public transport, and often require public transportation at non-peak hours, for the completion of parenting and household-related chores)

7. Question 2 Did Women Mayors Link (WML) project influence your official statements (as a mayor) regarding gender and gender issues? Entry Points:

8. Question 2 Maternity Hospital: Croatia, Romania engendering city hall budgets,change in local policies Water: Kosovo/a: the lack of drinking water;Moldova, Romania: domestic water supply, sanitation, hygiene in the rural area  change in local policy  lobbying to change the public policy; irrigation: Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania

9. Question 2 Recreational area: Kosovo/a, Croatia  Housing - the budget planning and the investments – Croatia, Albania Public transportation -

10. Question 3 Were the city hall priorities influenced as well? Entry Points: Developing social/public services

11. Question 3 day care centers:Croatia,Moldova: children raised by grandparents because their parents are working abroad  engendering city hall budgets services for battered women: Bulgaria

12. Question 3 Entry Points: public policies local policy for single mothers lobbying to change the public policy – Romania systematic approach to protection of women - BiH: Depending on where you live in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Maternity Leave and Family/Children’s Benefits vary drastically! change in local policy  lobbying to change the public policy

13. Question 11 Are there any strategies developed for using information and communication technology in your city hall? Entry Points:

14. Question 11 web site of the city hall: Bulgaria, FYRoMacedonia, Hungary, Romania cable TV  strategic use of internet:Romania e-government: women mayors access to e-government programs AND the users – who pay taxes by internet: men or women?

15. Question 19 Have you changed the way ICT means are used in the city hall? Entry Points:

16. Question 19 e-news letter: give more visibility to the locality – for donors by example – and to women mayors – in the local authorities’ organizations internet for networking

17. The GEM methodology questionnaire - the most important findings The WML Project definitely encouraged the women mayors in networking or contacting other women mayors directly. Two thirds of women mayors think that internet and e-mail are very efficient ways to communicate and stay in touch. However only some of them used the WML web page, and considered that our communication by email was the ‘list serve’.

18. The GEM methodology questionnaire - the most important findings Referring to the gender related issues, women mayors’ involvement was rather personal than institutional. Most of them mentioned that the WML Project influenced their official statements in some points,but it hasn’t usually influenced the city hall priorities and agendas by now.

19. The need assessment questionnaire - the most important findings the additional meetings were generally organized for the gender issues reasons the main reason for having the national networks is: the need for training on different areas of interest like: project management, economic and financial management, gender and discrimination issues, women's rights and interests, lobbying issues, youth and young women's problems, and the exchange of experience, information priority issues for the national networks: the status of women in elections, decision making & in local authorities, campaigning and promotion of women mayors

20. The need assessment questionnaire - the most important findings the main reasons for having the international networks: joint projects, developing social/public services, cross border/international partnership and cooperation, and training for women in ICT, management and entrepreneurship priority issues for the international networks: women in local authorities, in local communities and the status of women in EU; personal development of women in public position; legislation and budget, funding municipal infrastructure; employment of (young) women, human rights, poverty, gender policies