6.9.2022
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
C 342/7 Tuesday 15 February 2022
12.
Notes that migration has a direct impact on the inclusiveness of cities and requires tailored policy responses; points to the potential of the EU Action plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021-2027 in building inclusive and cohesive societies and targeting programmes to the most deprived neighbourhoods; notes also that community-led local development strategies are an essential tool to create jobs, reduce poverty and increase access to services in urban areas;
13.
Highlights that in deprived urban areas, children often experience multiple risk factors, such as poor housing, discrimination, violence and unequal access to services such as childcare, healthcare and education; calls on the Member States to support local child guarantee schemes to address the specific challenges of urban child poverty;
14.
Stresses the role played by cities towards gender equality and recalls that in accordance with the Common Provisions Regulation, all actions implemented under cohesion policy should take gender equality into account as a guiding principle throughout their preparation, implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation; underlines that action aimed at bridging the gender gap under cohesion policy should employ an intersectional approach that takes appropriate steps to prevent any discrimination based on religion or belief, disability, age or gender orientation and that bases itself on national strategic frameworks for gender equality; stresses, moreover, that the beneficiaries of cohesion policy programmes should not adopt any discriminatory policies, least of all against minorities, such as the LGBTI community; encourages the rejection of applications from potential beneficiaries, including from regional or local authorities, who have adopted discriminatory policies against members of the LGBTI community, such as the declaration of ‘LGBT-free zones’;
15.
Highlights that in addition to health risks, women are more vulnerable to the economic risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic; recognises that in a post-pandemic context, supporting women in the formal and informal sectors and better integrating women into policy planning for regional and urban development focusing on designing gender-inclusive cities and communities are essential for urban economic recovery;
16.
Highlights the widespread gender data gap in the field of cohesion policy and urban planning and calls on the Member States to introduce data collection methods using sex-disaggregated data;
17.
Emphasises the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to spikes in domestic violence; calls on the Member States to allocate cohesion policy funding and mobilise urban authorities to address the global increase in gender-based violence; encourages EU cities to develop, implement, and evaluate comprehensive approaches to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and gender-based violence in public spaces by committing to the principles of the UN Women’s Global Flagship Initiative ‘Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces for Women and Girls’;
18.
Calls on all Member States to urgently conclude the ratification of the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women; asks the Commission to propose legislation to tackle all forms of gender-based violence and take the necessary steps to identify gender-based violence as a new area of crime to be listed under Article 83(1) TFEU;
19.
Recognises the burden placed on women as principal caregivers in formal and informal settings, and the social value of that care, especially during the COVID-19 crisis; points out that 80 % of all care provided across the EU is provided by (unpaid) informal carers, 75 % of whom are women; points to the relevant role of European structural funds in securing investment in care services; welcomes the Commission’s intention to propose a European care strategy;
20.
Draws attention to unemployment and youth unemployment in particular, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic; calls on the Member States to actively involve urban authorities in devising programmes that meet the needs of young people in cities and in creating policies that focus on the mental health and well-being of young people, which is especially crucial in the post-COVID-19 context;