Women Friendly Cities Challenge

The Women Friendly Cities Challenge (WFCC) is a living virtual library of Wise Practices from around the world that help make cities more liveable for equity-deserving genders. Through the WFCC, we can share knowledge, inspire innovative practices, and learn about new ways of working together to make cities around the world where everyone can belong.

The idea was born at the United Nations Habitat III conference in October 2016 and launched at the World Urban Forum in February 2018.

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About Women Friendly Cities

What is a women-friendly city?

Simply put, a women-friendly city is a city where equity-deserving genders, including people from historically under-represented communities are able to thrive and live full, safe and meaningful lives. This requires equitable access to services including housing, education, justice, medical treatment, participation in decision-making and leadership, and for equity-seeking genders to be free from violence in the home and in public spaces.

Why is it important to build women-friendly cities?

Today, just over half the world’s people live in urban areas. But modern cities have not been historically designed by or for equity deserving genders.. By using an intersectional feminist lens to examine all urban issues, we can work towards building cities where everyone can belong. These positive impacts affect access to income, schools, freedoms and safety, health and agency, and clean environments.

The Women Friendly Cities Challenge envisions a future where cities are inclusive to all.

On the Women Friendly Cities Challenge, you can:

Explore Wise Practices

With this international library, we want to share knowledge, inspire innovation, improve networking and collaboration, and challenge ourselves to make cities equitable, inclusive, sustainable and thriving for all.

Explore

Submit Wise Practices

We welcome submissions from all sectors: Governments, civil society and grassroots organizations, the private sector, academia, and beyond. Show the world how you are making your city women-friendly!

Submit

More from the Women Friendly Cities Challenge

History of the Women Friendly Cities Challenge

Joy Masuhara, co-chair of Women Transforming Cities and one of the founders of the WFCC, writes about her experience at the UN Habitat III conference and how the Women Friendly Cities Challenge came to be.

Intersectionality

WFCC and WTC acknowledge the importance of applying an intersectional feminist lens to our work that helps us reflect the reality of our diverse communities, and addresses the roots of social injustice.

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Scotland to provide universal free period products in world first

Scotland has become the first country in the world to provide free and universal access to period products. Learn more about this Wise Practice.

Inclusive Cities for All

According to recent estimates from the WHO, over 1 billion people live with some form of disability. Just as we must consider gender equity, so too must we use an intersectional lens in order to build inclusive cities for all.