Tunisia: Launch of Femmedina Phase II

The second phase of the Femmedina Inclusive City Programme will launch in Sousse, Tunisia, on 1st June. The program aims to promote inclusivity in the medinas of Sousse, Mahdia, M'saken, and Kairouan, in collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Medinas have historically been the economic, social, political, and cultural hubs in Tunisia. However, not all citizens have equal access to the opportunities they offer.

Women and girls face various social, cultural, and spatial barriers when seeking socio-economic opportunities within the medinas. Deeply ingrained gender discrimination and stereotypes limit their access. Women often feel uncomfortable in male-dominated public spaces due to concerns about both sexual attacks and societal expectations that their presence in public areas should be solely for work, shopping, or accompanying children, rather than for leisure. As a result, the medinas are far from being considered gender-neutral spaces.

Building upon the completion of the first phase in Tunis in 2022, the Femmedina Inclusive City Programme Phase II will support the municipalities of Kairouan, Sousse, Mahdia, and M'saken. The program will engage women and girls, map and analyze existing gender inequalities in public spaces within the medinas, provide capacity-building activities, and renovate public spaces to enhance women's economic empowerment and safety. The programme is set to run for 2.5 years.

The official launch will take place on 1st June 2023 in Sousse. The press conference will introduce the project, its objectives, expected outcomes, the partner municipalities' expectations, and SDC's vision for the Femmedina initiative.

Speakers: 

• Giulia Maci, Gender Specialist and Manager Euro-Mediterranean region, Cities Alliance
• Moez Naija, Project Coordinator, City of Sousse
• Zouheir Baklouti, Project Manager, City of Mahdia
• Moez Ghozzi, Project Manager, Kairouan
• Leila Ezzina, Project Manager, M’saken
• Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency (SDC)