More and more decision-makers, public figures, and elected officials are calling for a different world after the COVID-19 pandemic. By changing our mobility and consumption habits, as well as investing more in public health, we have a great opportunity to also change our lives for the better. The question of gender equality must remain central in the post-COVID era if we are to achieve more just societies.

That’s the message from local and regional female elected officials, expressed in a declaration adopted by UCLG during a session on women’s leadership after COVID-19 co-organised with UN Women: “It is time to be ambitious and see gender equality as an integral part of the solution to the many challenges we face.”

The participants discussed the various challenges that women in particular face during the COVID-19 crisis. They include the overrepresentation of women among healthcare staff and other essential sectors. “This has increased their risk of exposure to the virus” said Carola Gunnarsson, Lord Mayor of Sala (Sweden), CEMR spokesperson for international affairs and UCLG Vice-President for Europe.

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