Rishon Lezion
Background
The City for All program was initiated in Rishon Lezion in 2017, inspired by the work of the Rishon Lezion Women’s Network. The city, with the 4 th largest municipal population in Israel, is now a leader in building resources towards gender equality, including:
- A full-time position for the Mayor’s Advisor on Gender Equality (in most Israeli local authorities this statutory position is left unstaffed, or only offered as a part time job.)
- A Gender Equality Municipal Authority, with a significant annual operating budget
- A first-of-its-kind Municipal Rights Center for Women, established and led by Adv. Dana Eisner Lavi, who recently became the mayor’s advisor.
- The creation of the Women’s Network, a unique model for social action developed in Rishon Lezion with over 10,000 women in the city active in Network forums and groups.
Impact
The Rishon Lezion model of action works in four complementary fields to achieve gender-mainstreaming in city governance;
- Fostering Women’s and Girls’ Leadership and Activism
- Promoting Gender and Family Sensitive Working life in the city
- Gender Analysis of Policies and Budgets
- Municipal Rights Center for Women
These four fields of action were also the foundations of the public consultation process (Roundtables) in Akko and Taybeh and led to their Gender Equality Action Plans.
