 Developments on the Local Action Plans prepared in the six cities under the Joint Programme were assessed during the visits to each city.
The United Nations Joint Programme (UNJP) Team, established to monitor and overview the progress of the Joint Programme to Protect and Promote the Human Rights of Women and Girls, paid a visit to the governors and mayors of the six cities, as well as meeting with the NGOs in each city. On her visits to the six cities, UNJP Programme Manager Nevin Şenol was accompanied by the Ministry of Interior’s Center for Research and Studies Chairman Yılmaz Kurt, Ministry of Interior Advisor to Undersecretary Abdullah Özbek, Ministry of Interior Head of Department of Associations Dr. Şentürk Uzun, Ministry of Interior UNJP National Director Mustafa Çöğgün, Auditor of the Ministry of Interior Recep Demir, Police Captain Osman Taşçı and Hacı Ömer Sabancı Foundation (VAKSA) Director Zerrin Koyunsağan.
 Local Equality Action Plans were presented to local decision makers. A team, consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Interior, United Nations Joint Programme (UNJP) and Hacı Ömer Sabancı Foundation (VAKSA), paid a visit to the six cities within the Programme, meeting with Governor Cahit Kıraç and Mayor Aziz Kocaoğlu in İzmir, Governor Mehmet Ufuk Erden and Mayor Naif Alibeyoğlu in Kars, Governor M. Asım Hacımustafaoğlu and Deputy Mayor Yusuf Kaya in Nevşehir, Governor Yusuf Yavaşcan and Mayor Ahmet Eşref Fakıbaba in Şanlıurfa, Governor Nuri Okutan ile Mayor Mehmet Volkan Canalioğlu in Trabzon, and Governor Özdemir Çakacak and Mayor Burhan Yenigün in Van.
The Local Equality Action Plans, prepared in five months with a participative approach, requiring the active involvement of local partners, were presented to governors and mayors in April 2007. The visits began in Kars on 9 April, and were completed in İzmir on 30 April. The team, consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Interior, the UNJP and VAKSA, presented the Local Equality Action Plans, prepared by local partners, asking for their support and approval.
On her visits to the six cities, UNJP Programme Manager Nevin Şenol was accompanied by the Ministry of Interior’s Center for Research and Studies Chairman Yılmaz Kurt, Ministry of Interior Advisor to Undersecretary Abdullah Özbek, Ministry of Interior Head of Department of Associations Dr. Şentürk Uzun, Ministry of Interior UNJP National Director Mustafa Çöğgün, Auditor of the Ministry of Interior Recep Demir, Police Captain Osman Taşçı and Hacı Ömer Sabancı Foundation (VAKSA) Director Zerrin Koyunsağan. Following the evaluations in the cities after the visits, the Local Equality Action Plans, presented to the governors and mayors of six cities, were found feasible.
The Local Equality Action Plans aim to establish gender equality on the local level, and incorporate gender perspective into local plans and policies for sustainability of equality policies.
The UNJP Programme Manager Nevin Şenol referred to the Local Equality Action Plans as “road maps to creating women-friendly cities,” and “sets of solution proposals to eliminating all the inequality against women and the girl child in all areas of the city life, affecting them directly or indirectly, in public and private spheres.”
Şenol listed the priority solution proposals that are included into the Local Equality Action Plans, and that could be brought to life with present political will:
• Establishing monitoring committees and/or women’s platforms to monitor the operations of Provincial Councils and Municipal Councils, and making sure that these committees and/or platforms are able to participate in the meetings of special commissions, such as traffic, environment, women, family, health, youth, culture, etc.
• Making sure that at least a ratio of one third for women’s representation is acquired in the city councils, established for the participation of public in local decision making, through volunteer quota implementation or similar methods.
• Collection of detailed statistical data on the position of women and girls, and the kinds of local services they require, in order to set a base for urban equality policies, and strengthening of the city recording systems as to be able to produce gender-based data.
• Establishments of units and/or committees in governor’s offices, provincial special administrative units and municipalities, for undertaking, coordinating and monitoring work on the protection and strengthening of women’s rights.
• Informing the public, women and the women’s NGOs regularly on the local governments’ strategic plans on the organizational structure, job allocation, and allocation of local resources, and making sure that their input is reflected on the decisions.
• Regular in-service trainings for the local service providers on the human rights of women and girls, and the urban rights.
• Establishment of an emergency unit/committee for fighting against violence against women on a provincial level, and reallocation of funds for the establishment of intermediary stations in every province for sheltering women and girls who are victims of violence.
• Opening day care centers and nursing homes, for supporting the participation of women in public areas and work life.
• Making sure that all the women and girls are registered, so that girls are able to benefit from the compulsory education, through strengthening the city recording systems.
• Increasing the capacity of present social centers, family and marriage consultancy centers, and reallocation of funds for the opening of new centers.
• Informing the public on reproductive health, family planning, and the negative aspects of forced and early marriages, and marriage with relatives, restructuring of reproductive health and family planning services, and undertaking operations to increase its impact.
• Increasing the number of personnel providing services to women, i.e. social services experts, psychologists, etc.
• Making sure that places are allocated to women’s NGOs, contribution is given to fixed costs, etc, for strengthening the women’s NGOs.
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