Mertzig, Schifflange Municipalities Join Gender Equality Campaign

Since mid-October 2022, eight municipalities have signed a partnership agreement with the Ministry of Equality between Women and Men, thus defining their planned activities in the field of promoting gender equality in their respective territories.

As part of this cooperation, approximately 56,000 Luxembourg citizens will be able to benefit from municipal measures in favour of equality between women and men in the municipalities of Boulaide, Colmar-Berg, Grevenmacher, Niederanven, Mertzig, Pétange, Roeser and Schifflange.

Indeed, given the proximity of municipalities to their citizens and the range of services offered to the population, municipalities are key players and privileged partners of the Ministry for Equality between Women and men to advance gender equality at the local level.

As part of these latest signatures, Minister for Equality between Women and Men, Taina Bofferding, visited the two municipalities, which, as one of their first actions, organised an "Open Day" with activities aimed at motivating women in particular to get involved in local politics and to stand as candidates in the next municipal elections in 2023. This activity is part of the “Long live equality!” campaign, targeting healthier parity, particularly between women and men, in future colleges of aldermen and municipal councils.

In Mertzig, Minister Bofferding is delighted with the momentum of the college of aldermen: "Although the municipality is still in its infancy of an active local policy for the promotion of gender equality, it is committed from the start with an ambitious catalog of activities, starting from the open door to the organisation of educational workshops on gender equality and sexual stereotypes in their basic school, to the organisation of a prevention campaign on violence domestic and the presentation of a documentary on the history of women's football in Luxembourg".

In Schifflange, which already has a long tradition of actively promoting gender equality on its territory, Minister Bofferding was also able to gain an image of the commitment of political leaders. After a visit to the municipal administration, presented to the local public and to the minister, three municipal councilors testified about their motivation to get involved in politics, their satisfaction at being able to contribute to the design and improvement of the infrastructure and communal services offered to citizens.

"I am very confident that with the 'MEGA+' agreements, defining the activities chosen and the support expected from the municipalities, the promotion of equality between women and men will be able to accelerate considerably at the local level, in the benefit of thousands of inhabitants across the country," concluded Minister Bofferding.

Further information on the “MEGA+” conventions and the “Long live equality!” campaign is available online via www.megacommunes.lu and www.megagemengen.lu.