Objective
The City is committed to guaranteeing equal opportunities in all areas of life. It recognises the different needs of men and women, and boys and girls, and takes them into account in its public services and the cultural, sporting and recreational activities it offers, to provide an excellent quality of life for all of its residents.
European Charter
On 23 March 2009, the City of Luxembourg signed the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life. As a signatory, the City has undertaken to implement the commitments defined in the Charter's thirty articles, within its territory.
39 articles
The European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life, comprising 39 articles, is both a manual for municipal policy-makers on the equality of women and men, and a guide for shaping concrete initiatives resulting from such larger policies. As at 1 January 2023, this charter comprises 39 articles (previously 30 articles). 9 articles have been added to reflect societal changes over the last 15 years and their impact on local/regional policy in terms of gender equality.
Action plan
To ensure proper implementation, the City has agreed to develop a municipal action plan that defines its priorities, actions and necessary resources. The City has also agreed to work with the institutions and organisations in its territory to promote equality and diversity between women and men, with all the advantages and challenges this brings.
Action plans
The municipal equal opportunities action plan is the tool for implementing the municipal gender equality policy. It was developed based on the 4-Step Gender Mainstreaming methodology, which entails:
- Analysing the initial situation;
- Setting objectives to be achieved over a four-year period to improve the initial situation;
- Defining actions to achieve the objectives, as well as indicators, deadlines and the choice of partners for implementation;
- Assessing progress against the indicators that have been defined.
2023–2027 action plan
6 principles of the Charter
The City has been committed to promoting gender equality since the year 2000. With the backing of the municipal council, the gender equality officer – a position created in 2006 – ensures that there is a structured, sustainable equality policy. This foundation was further strengthened on 23 March 2009 when the City signed the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life. Using this charter as a guide, the City focuses on its six fundamental principles:
- Equality of women and men is a fundamental right.
- To ensure the equality of women and men, multiple discriminations and disadvantages must be addressed.
- The balanced participation of women and men in decision-making is a pre-requisite of a democratic society.
- Eliminating gender stereotypes is fundamental to achieving equality of women and men.
- Integrating the gender perspective into all activities of local and regional government is necessary to advance equality of women and men.
- Properly resourced action plans and programmes are necessary tools to advance equality of women and men
This action plan has been drawn up as a continuation of previous action plans, incorporating contributions from key players (departments and external partners) and aligned with general municipal policy priorities, as well as with the objectives of the European Charter. With this, the City has once again created for itself a management tool for the structured, efficient and sustainable implementation of municipal gender equality policies for the years 2023 to 2027.
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2019–2022 action plan
6 principles of the Charter
The City has been committed to promoting gender equality since the year 2000. With the backing of the municipal council, the gender equality officer – a position created in 2006 – ensures that there is a structured, sustainable equality policy. This foundation was further strengthened on 23 March 2009 when the City signed the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life. Since then, the city has emphasized its commitment to the Charter's 6 principles:
- Equality of women and men is a fundamental right.
- To ensure the equality of women and men, multiple discriminations and disadvantages must be addressed.
- The balanced participation of women and men in decision-making is a prerequisite of a democratic society.
- Eliminating gender stereotypes is fundamental to achieving equality of women and men.
- Integrating the gender perspective into all activities of local and regional government is necessary to advance equality of women and men.
- Properly resourced action plans and programmes are necessary tools to advance equality of women and men.
2015–2018 action plan
Priorities in terms of equality
The 2015–2018 action plan sets out the priorities of the municipal equality policy. It has 5 main sections covering 19 articles of the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life developed by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions:
- Service provider: actions in relation to the quality of the service rendered, and adaptation of the service to the specific needs and interests of men and women
- Planning and sustainable development: social, environmental and economic responsibility of the City of Luxembourg in its role as developer of urban spaces; actions relating to the adaptation of public spaces to the needs of women and men and to the promotion of the balanced participation of women and men in the development of society
- Role of employer: actions aimed at achieving gender equality in-house, and at incorporating gender equality policies directly in human-resources management practices
- Governance: actions relating to decision-making, organisation and communication in line with the policy on gender equality
- General framework: implementing the policy on gender equality should be based on a detailed analysis of the situation, and should be part of a broader framework for tackling multiple forms of discrimination
In addition to these priority areas, there is the overarching aspect of governance, which includes the structural and communication measures required for the effective implementation of a gender equality policy.
Each year, the progress of the action plan is evaluated and documented in an annual report. The action plan is then adjusted in light of the evaluation results and changes in society.
