10 – Minskad ojämlikhet
Participation is not enough
Women, intersectionality, and local democracy in Colombia In Colombia, participatory mechanisms have opened spaces for women, but these spaces have not enabled their political agency as expected. Often, these mechanisms have focused on “women” generically, reproducing discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, and class. Drawing on a case study of the Women’s Advisory Council (WAC) of…
Designing for Inclusion
A Municipal Accessibility Toolbox Editors: Felicia Wede and Irena Lakobrija Delić This toolbox is based on the Guidelines for Accessibility and Universal Design for Cities and Municipalities, developed by Vračar Municipality in partnership with Borås City, Sweden. It translates these guidelines into practical support for municipalities to plan and deliver accessible services, emphasising the need…
Designing participation for better health outcomes
What Local Governments Can Learn from Participatory Budgeting in Kenya Participatory budgeting is widely promoted as a way to strengthen local democracy, but evidence on its effects on concrete development outcomes – especially health – remains limited. This policy brief summarises findings from a randomised controlled trial in rural Kenya that tested three forms of…
Developing Youth Councils
This toolbox has been compiled to help local government officials and politicians who want to start, improve, and maintain their own youth councils. It provides both inspiration and a step-by-step guide for setting up and managing these councils. It also explores the questions and challenges youth councils often face and shares some of the lessons…
Borås och Vračar – ökar inkludering och tillgänglighet
Den serbiska kommunen Vračar har tagit viktiga steg för inkluderingen av personer med funktionsnedsättning. Genom sitt framgångsrika kommunala partnerskap med Borås kommun som startade 2021, med målet att öka inflytande och delaktighet för personer med funktionsnedsättning, har både organisatoriska strukturer byggts och konkreta förändringar genomförts. Ett centralt resultat är inrättandet av ett funktionshindersråd i Vračar,…
Jönköping – Stellenbosh, South Africa
Project: Youth participation in municipal decision-making The project tackles a shared challenge in both Jönköping and Stellenbosch: young people are largely excluded from municipal decision-making. Although Sweden incorporated the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into law in 2020, translating this principle into real influence for young people remains difficult. Existing structures, such…
Secure and Develop Childrens Rights
A step-by-step guide to conducting a Child Rights Ambassador Training Programme This toolbox presents a training programme for Child Rights Ambassadors, developed as part of one of four projects carried out within an ICLD-funded partnership between Region Stockholm, Sweden, and Jinja City, Uganda (2022–2025). The work was implemented by staff from Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital…
From Seeds to Assemblies. Agroecology as a Tool for Political Participation
Indigenous women’s political participation remains limited due to intersecting inequalities. Nevertheless, sustainable initiatives such as agroecology have proved to empower communities and promote social engagement. This research investigates the political dimension of agroecology by examining how it can affect Indigenous women’s political participation. Social Capital Theory and Empowerment Theory are used to identify the mechanisms…
Living Knowledge in a Changing Land
Indigenous communities in the Amazon are facing rapid socio-ecological changes that threaten traditional land management practices and food sovereignty. Indigenous knowledge and practices, essential for biodiversity conservation, are quickly being lost. I examine how changes in traditional land management affect Indigenous food sovereignty and its impact on the growth of women’s leadership in Mitú, Colombia.…
Breaking the Chains of Inequality:The Role of Human Rights Education in South AfricanSchools from an International and Comparative Perspective
This thesis explores how Human Rights Education (HRE) can be used as a powerful tool to address inequality, challenge racism, promote inclusion, and ensure fair access to resources in South African schools. By comparing the experiences of Black, Coloured, and former White schools, the study draws from a decolonial perspective and counter-narrative theory to examine…
