The Agency for Gender Equality (AGE) within the Prime Minister's office of Kosovo, the Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM) and the Municipal Spatial Planning Support Programme (MuSPP) funded by the Swedish Development Cooperation held the launching ceremony of the Guidelines on 'Gender Mainstreaming in Spatial Planning: a step-by-step approach for municipalities' on May 26, 2015.

The guidelines were developed by a dedicated working group composed by the Agency for Gender Equality (AGE), the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning (MESP), the Ministry of Local Government Administration (MLGA) and the Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM) with the substantive support of MuSPP. These guidelines are the result of the experience of Kosovo institutions supported by MuSPP in spatial planning and governance processes. They aim to assist central and local governments, as well as civil society, by providing recommendations for the integration of a gender perspective in the spatial planning process, inspiring through best practice, and offering a foundation for exchange and capacity building activities and tools.

The Chief Executive of the Agency for Gender Equality, Mrs. Edona Hajrullahu, opened the launching event by stressing the importance of gender perspective in spatial planning which means the standards that guarantee to all women and girls and men and boys adequate access to public spaces and services, safety and security, proper mobility solutions and better housing. She added that spatial planning considering needs and respective perspective from women and men was a pre-condition for improved quality of life and more sustainable development.

The Executive Director of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities Mr. Sazan Ibrahimi highlighted that these guidelines demonstrated that collaboration between local and central level institutions can give concrete and useful results for municipalities. The guidelines are pragmatic, he said, whilst adding that AKM would continue supporting such initiatives in support of further local democracy and involvement of women in decision-making processes.

Mrs. Gwendoline Mennetrier, MuSPP Chief Technical Advisor, welcomed the fruitful cooperation and commitment of Kosovo institutions in the development of the guidelines on gender mainstreaming in spatial planning. Considering urban governance with gender and socio-economic dynamics of the city in mind is a critical starting point in the assurance of equalities, inclusion, and urban sustainability, she said. Furthermore, she highlighted the value of gender mainstreaming across local governments, municipal functions, and service delivery as an opportunity to create inclusive cities respecting the human rights of women and men of all ages and of diverse backgrounds. Finally, she informed the audience that the guidelines would also be used in the coming months in a set of training that will target all Kosovo municipalities in the field of participatory approaches in planning, including gender.

The event continued with a detailed presentation of the Guidelines by MuSPP, i.e. the 'why' and the 'how' throughout the spatial planning process, and concrete illustrations based on case studies and lessons learned from MuSPP partner municipalities.

The launching ceremony concluded with interactive discussion and a variety of questions and interest from participants, all agreeing on the importance of this approach in addressing the needs of women and men in the development of plans and policies.

The event was attended by representatives from the central and local authorities, civil society, international organizations and media.