Katrineholm: the 100th Swedish municipality to sign the European Charter for Equality
[February 16, 2017 10:41 CET, original article in Swedish]
100 is a symbolic number today for the Swedish municipality of Katrineholm. Not only is Katrineholm celebrating its 100-year anniversary, but it is also the hundredth Swedish municipality to sign the CEMR’s European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life.
Katrineholm municipality’s work with gender equality began in 2010. At the time, the municipality adopted a new, gender-sensitive, management system. Thus began the long-term work on mainstreaming gender in the planning, implementation and monitoring of municipal activities.
Katrineholm received an award for its gender equality work in Autumn 2016. The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKL/SALAR) Open Comparisons study on equality ranked Katrineholm 26th among other Swedish municipalities.
The next step in Katrineholm Municipality’s equality work was to sign the European Charter for Equality.
– It’s about democracy. An equal society means that women and men, girls and boys in Katrineholm can take part in municipal services and access resources on equal terms. Equality is built where decisions are made, resources are allocated and norms are created, and this work is an everyday fact for us, says Göran Dahlström (S) Mayor of Katrineholm.
– By signing the declaration, we support the European Charter for Equality. The intention is to ensure that laws regarding discrimination are followed and a city-wide action plan is developed to implement what is stated in the Charter. Our equality work will extend beyond our own organisations to involve other organisations, says Anneli Hedberg (S), Chair of the Public Health Committee.
The municipal government will sign the European Charter for Equality on 22 February 2017.
For more information contact:
Anna Johansson, Gender expert
Katrineholm
Phone: 070-517 17 61
