Bogotá's innovative gender equity policies generate global interest

Bogotá's innovative gender equity policies generate global interestPhoto: Secretariat for Women’s affairs of Bogotá.
Bogotá’s Care System has received important international recognition for its effective strategies to reduce the gender gap.
Publicado:
8
Mar
2023
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Bogotá's strategies aimed at reducing the gender gap and guaranteeing the rights of all women in the city continue to attract interest from organizations and governments around the world, thanks to their innovation and effectiveness.

Policies directed at women who dedicate the majority of their time to unpaid care work and achieving a cultural change throughout society have been materialized in the Care System. This system already has 16 Care Blocks distributed throughout the city and has offered more than 300,000 services. Thanks to this program, Bogotá has received several awards and recognitions globally, and good practices have begun to be replicated in other local governments in the region.

As part of the commemoration of International Women's Day, we highlight the main awards, cooperation actions, and publications, which demonstrate the global interest in Bogota's gender equity policies:

Main awards and recognitions

- Edge of Government Innovation Experience. Among more than 1,000 initiatives from 94 countries, Bogotá's Care Blocks were selected as one of the 9 projects in the 'Edge of Government' at the 2023 World Government Summit held in Dubai, thanks to their innovation, scalability, and impact.

- World Smart Cities Awards. In November 2022, the Care System was a finalist for the World Smart Cities Awards at the Smart City Expo World Congress.

- Carter Center. In 2022. Bogotá was announced as the winner of the Transforming Lives Campaign of the Carter Center, in order to strengthen the cultural change strategy of the Care System.

- Global Mayors Challenge 2021. Thanks to the 'Care House to House' program of the Care System, Bogotá was recognized among more than 630 cities with the 'Global Mayors Challenge 2021' award from Bloomberg Philanthropies, which granted one million dollars aimed at strengthening this innovative program.

- Wellbeing Cities Award. In 2021, Bogotá was chosen as the Wellbeing City 2021 thanks to the implementation of the Care System. This award calls for cities around the world that transform urban life and place well-being at the center of their policy and planning.

International Cooperation

- UN Women. Provided technical assistance to strengthen the Care System, including support for the implementation of the Gender Equality and Equity Budget Tracer, the development of the Gender Equality Seal, and the prevention and response to violence against women in the process of reintegration.

- Open Society Foundation (OSF). Provided technical and financial assistance to strengthen the Care System, as well as knowledge exchanges such as the "Care in Latin America" meeting, which was attended by more than 30 local and national leaders.

- Inter-American Development Bank. Provided cooperation to increase access to training services for women caregivers in the Care Blocks of Los Mártires district, especially for migrant women.

- Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). Provided technical support to the Care System, including costing criteria for Care Blocks, sources of financing, and dialogue mechanisms.

- World Bank. Provided support to strengthen the employability and income generation strategy for women in the Care System.

- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Provided technical support to the Care System and implementation of the "Let's Work Together, Neighbors" program.

- UNICEF. Resources from the Government of Norway provided support for the development of an online course on violence prevention and pedagogical materials for the transformation of gender stereotypes in early childhood.

- USAID. Provided institutional strengthening for the care of migrant women.

- Save The Children. Provided technical support for the installation of two lactation rooms in the Care Blocks of Mártires and Santafé districts.

Publications:

- CIDEU. Article on Bogotá's Care System: The urban strategy serving people's rights.

- CHANGE. Voluntary Gender Review, a report that accounts for the progress of member cities in the network in relation to the Sustainable Development Goal related to gender equality.

- The Network of Local and Regional Governments on Time Policies. The Care System is the only Latin American experience in the dossier promoted by the Network, which compiles 35 successful time policy experiences.

- Brookings Institution. Inclusion of the Care System as a best practice in its City Playbook.

- Council on Urban Initiatives / LSE Cities. Inclusion of a case study on Bogotá with the Care System.

- Metropolis. Inclusion of the Care System in a case study conducted between Metropolis and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.