The Swedish municipality, Alingsås, is keen to identify new ways of providing information for and initiating dialogues with newly arrived refugees. The Chililabombwe municipality in Zambia has the same need to provide information, but its target group is people living in rural communities. The two municipalities are now working hand in hand in order to…
Grace Mary Mugasa, Mayor of the City of Hoima in Uganda was one of the founding mayors of the Global Parliament of Mayors (GPM). Now she is a member of the Steering Committee. “I got excited to receive the good news of my appointment, but I also felt humbled and challenged”, she says. As a…
Before we invest in fixing a problem shouldn’t we try to understand its causes? Jesse Ribot and his team of scientists and researchers say climate stress is not the main reason that young men and women are fleeing Africa. “The people we are working with in the Sahelian zone are oppressed and exploited. They are…
What used to be a high-tension camp where fights could erupt out of nowhere now seems to be a settlement where refugees and people from the host community can live together in harmony. – We try to learn from our history and enable an inclusive city for refugees in a manner where the host community…
Refugees bring challenges to the cities, but they also bring possibilities. During a seminar in Almedalen, ICLD focused on the role of cities as frontrunners for the democratic inclusion of refugees. “The most important aspect is to accept the refugees as a part of us, a part of humanity, as brothers and sisters”, says Joseph…
The ICLD is about to launch a new International Training Programme – Gender Mainstreaming Local Democracy – based on the Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goal no 5 – Gender Equality. The target group is governmental officials responsible for sustainable gender equality development in their local government.
A municipal partnership is strengthening international democratic efforts to boost participation by and the influence of individuals. Sweden’s Falun Municipality, together with Tsumeb in Namibia, is working to solve land development issues and urban planning in both municipalities. It’s essentially an issue of democracy: “Yes, it’s important that everyone’s needs are met. Both Falun and…
One of the issues that will be addressed during the ICLD seminar in Almedalen is, “How do we create inclusive cities for all?” A pretty big question with no straightforward answers, but Susanne Hedlund, Refugee Coordinator in Botkyrka Municipality, has identified an important starting point: “Housing is really important. You need something of your own…
The multi-year ICLD programmes in Zimbabwe were summarised in March in Harare when 82 people were invited to a full day of swapping experiences. “They told each other about their experiences of the programme and the difference it has made to their work,” says Shannon Lövgren, one of ICLD’s Programme Officers for international training programmes.
Everything from intensive media coverage to the adoption of EU treaties on equal rights for men and women is up for debate in the wake of the leadership skills training for top female politicians “Local Political Leaders – Capacitating Women in Politics”.
