Last December 16th, 2021, the City Institute and members of the GenUrb research project, joined a brainstorming session on Women and the Urban SDGs hosted by the World Urban Pavilion in Regent Park. With the aim of establishing in Canada a Global Secretariat for Women and the Urban SDGs and working in collaboration with UN-Habitat, the Ministry of Women, Gender Equality and Youth of Canada, and Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation (CMHC), this new program employs the pavilion to delve into the links between SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG17 (working through partnerships for sustainable development) to foster partnerships between women’s organizations, local governments, and civil society. One of the aims is to promote gender equality in urban design and planning from decision-making to implementation to policymaking for achieving inclusive and sustainable urban development. The brainstorming session brought together, from Canada and beyond, various city leaders, governmental and non-governmental organizations, decision-makers, academia, private sector, and local community members to share ideas and shape the Women and Urban SDGs program. Discussions centred around themes of intersectionality, women and girls’ “empowerment,” gender-based violence, and diversity and inclusion, among others.

A recording of the session is available here and the concept note can be found here. We look forward to the City Institute’s continued engagement in this endeavour.