Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor Serra Bucak signed the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life.

On behalf of the Women’s Council established within the Department of Women and Family Services, Co-Mayor Serra Bucak signed the CEMR “Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life” protocol, under the coordination of the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (TBB).

The signing ceremony, held at the Ali Emiri Cultural Centre of the Metropolitan Municipality, was attended by Co-Mayor Bucak, Co-Spokesperson of the Metropolitan Municipality Council Emine Akın, Deputy Chief Executive Zerin Türk, Head of the Department of Women and Family Services Özden Gürbüz, council members, department heads, and women staff.

In her speech, Co-Mayor Bucak stated that, as the Metropolitan Municipality, they had come together both to establish the Women’s Council and to sign the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life.

Recalling that they had also established a Women’s Council in 2014–2015, Co-Mayor Bucak said: “The process of establishing the Women’s Council is important for us. In fact, all our colleagues sitting in this hall – whether our elected council members, or our colleagues serving as heads of departments, branch directors, and in various fields – have significant experience in understanding how women’s issues and women’s policies can develop, change, transform, and become an important element of local governance. Our duty is to further expand and strengthen this experience, to complete the process that was left unfinished in 2015, and to leave to future administrations a stronger structure of the Women’s Council, a stronger department, and, most importantly, to implement gender equality – which is the indispensable principle of the CEMR Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life – within local governments.”

Co-Chair Bucak stated that they had campaigned with this slogan during the local elections and continued her speech as follows: ‘At this stage, with six months almost up, we want to sign two things that will make our work in this area even more meaningful today and continue on our path, both as our central district municipality and as a metropolitan municipality.’

‘The Women’s Council Will Strengthen the Women’s Struggle’

Thanking those who contributed to the establishment of the Women’s Council, Co-Mayor Bucak emphasised that a structure formed by council members, women managers, and employees would empower them.

In her speech, Co-Mayor Bucak stated:

“First and foremost, women’s visibility and a women’s perspective will be created in our municipal work. On the other hand, the solidarity among us as women will strengthen and advance the women’s struggle. From this perspective, we attach great importance to it. Both in terms of our own internal dynamics, and in terms of reflecting these dynamics and this women’s struggle more visibly in the city, we consider it very important. It will expand and develop women’s work and women’s struggle, and will make gender equality possible in local governments. It will make the struggle against violence against women visible in this city, and it will amplify the voice we raise against femicides. I want to underline from now the importance of all these efforts.”

“We are about to sign a very valuable and important agreement. Undoubtedly, it has both international and national obligations, requirements, and regulatory proposals. We will work on all of these together. I believe that as Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, as the women of Diyarbakır, together with all our stakeholders who shoulder this women’s struggle, with all our women’s institutions, platforms, and the women’s councils of our political parties, we will not only follow the path set before us by this charter, but also emerge stronger with our own distinct path.”

‘We Will Work to Establish a Women’s Council within the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye’

Co-Mayor Bucak added that she would also work towards the establishment of a Women’s Council within the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye, stating:

“As a woman co-mayor serving on the permanent executive committee of the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye, I will voice here as well the fact that today we are signing this charter and establishing the Women’s Council. We have full faith that gender equality in local governments and the reflection of a women’s perspective in our municipal services and in the city will be very valuable and meaningful, and from today onwards we will continue our work in this direction together with our Women’s Council. May it be beneficial for us all.”