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The World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty

The World Alliance of Cities Against PovertyOne voice may not always be enough for the world to hear, but when a community of more than 900 cities joins together to combat and confront development challenges such as global poverty, being heard is a guarantee. The World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty (WACAP) is a network of more than 900 cities, some of them located in nations such as the United Kingdom, Turkey, Ethiopia, among many more. This vast number of cities collaborate together to mobilize change with individuals, governments, and anyone willing to bring a helping hand into confronting and ending global poverty.

When a community comes together, there is the power of partnership and collaboration to depend upon. With this strength magnified, the ability of the network to make strides in development is multiplied.

When a city wants to join WACAP, they don’t only envision an improvement in their own communities, but an open opportunity to help fight urban poverty everywhere. This is the idea of cities helping cities. The cooperation between the cities is a vision of strengthening development. In the mission of WACAP, this vision is comprised of sustainable development in the urban context, understood through economic, environmental, and social dimensions.

Poverty kills thousands and leaves many people leading lives of constant despair and struggle. In order to create hope for these people living in poverty-stricken cities, WACAP is in an enduring partnership that will work to alleviate their suffering and build community networks that people can rely on.

– Jada Chin

Source: WACAP

Stopping Violence Against Women Worldwide

Stopping Violence Against Women Worldwide
In the eighth biannual forum of the World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty in Dublin, the focus is being brought to the issue of violence against women and girls in public spaces.

In Dublin, around 600 delegates gathered for the eighth forum of the World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty. Over the course of two days, February 20 and 21, leaders from the private sector and civil society met to discuss development challenges and approaches to poverty alleviation. The theme of this year’s conference was Making Cities Smart, Safe and Sustainable. Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women Michelle Bachelet delivered the opening remarks and prompted a need to empower women in the pursuit of greater social and economic progress around the world.

“Violence against women in public spaces remains a largely neglected issue, with few laws or policies in place to address it,” Bachelet said.

The Under-Secretary-General advocated greater responses to violence against women. She went on to talk about the Safe Cities Global Programme launched by UN Women and UN-Habitat to address the problem of violence against women. Implemented in Egypt, Rwanda, India, Ecuador, and Papa New Guinea, and many more cities, the Safe Cities program has focused on developing a comprehensive model to prevent forms of violence against women and girls.

In Quito, the public awareness campaign Cartas de Mujeres, or “Letters from Women,” encouraged women to write letters to the city government about their experiences with violence. The 10,000 letters received prompted the amending of the ordinance eliminating violence against women to include violence in open spaces. In Port Moresby, where 55 percent of women market vendors reported experiencing some sort of violence, a market vendor association was organized to voice concerns and work with the government for a safer environment. Mapping technologies are being utilized in Rio de Janeiro to identify safety risks in ten high-risk areas around the city. UN Women is also working with Microsoft to find ways to use mobile technology as a tool to address sexual harassment and violence against women in public spaces.

Bachelet writes that as more women, men and young people voice their concerns, participate in local government, and take action for the safety of women and girls, “change happens.”

– Rafael Panlilio

Source: The Guardian, UN Women