The Inclusive Municipal Leadership Program (IMLP) in Tunisia, co-implemented by CILG-VNG International and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, came to an end in December 2022. In only four years, the project had a strong impact at the local level, by collaborating closely with eight municipalities to make their policies and practices more inclusive and responsive to women’s needs.
Hundreds of elected officials and members of the administration were trained in that regard. As a result, several sexospecific projects were developed, such as public places and parks that are welcoming and safe for women and children. Since the project took place during COVID-19, the IMLP supported the Tunisian municipalities in crisis management by developing an inclusive guide to crisis management and by providing specific training.
A special program was also developed for women leaders at the local level to increase skills, confidence and facilitate their engagement in local initiatives. At the national level, IMLP contributed to the creation and positioning of the Tunisian Network of Women Elected Officials, whose membership grew from 15 to 1000 during the life of the project. The National Federation of Tunisian Municipalities was an important stakeholder in the project and was supported to increase gender integration in its policies, tools, approaches and commissions.
All international cooperation projects implemented by FCM benefit from the contributions of Canadian municipal volunteers, and IMLP was no exception. Through this peer-to-peer approach, a very rich collaboration was established and municipal partners from both side of the Atlantic had a lot to share on issues such as natural disaster management, challenges and opportunities for women involved in politics, inclusive governance and the engagement of civil society. Four thematic case studies were developed to illustrate that collaboration and are available on the project web page under featured resources.