FRANKFURT
Gender Mainstreaming in Frankfurt
- The process of Implementation of Gender Mainstreaming in the City of Frankfurt started in January 2002 by creating a Gender Team (in the city department Frauenreferat) who is responsible for the organization of the implementation process.
- In the first step a strategy paper was developed, which roughly outlined the future process of implementation of GM in Frankfurt . This paper serves as a guideline for everybody who within the city is involved in the process of change. The strategy paper will be continuously improved and specified according to the current state of the implementation process.
- In August 2002 the City Parliament decided that the GM strategy should be implemented on all levels of City's policy and structure.
- Organization of a hearing in May 2003 within the parliamentarian Committee for Women's affairs, where the politicians involved in Gender policies could learn more about Gender Mainstreaming by national experts and where the strategy paper was enhanced by national expertise.
- In addition to this hearing there was founded a network of representatives of major German Cities in order to exchange experiences on how to implement GM in municipalities. This network meets at least twice a year.
- On the occasion of a regular meeting of the City's government the members of the City Government was made familiar with the GM strategy.
- In August 2003 the Alderman, responsible for the city's budget, declared, that the city's budget plan will be improved by a gender dimension, starting with the budget for 2005.
- In July 2003 the parliament decided that lectures on Gender Mainstreaming shall be held within all of the 17 different committees of parliament in order to make the members of parliament familiar with the GM Strategy.
- This program started in March 2004.
- From September 2004 there will be organized workshops on Gender Mainstreaming for all directors of all city departments.
- Right after these workshops all departments of the city are asked to implement GM pilot projects within their branches.
- September 2004 a city' task group will be established, where all the departments of the City will be represented on high levels, who's task is to direct the process of Gender Mainstreaming in Frankfurt. The Gender Team will serve as Executive Directors within this group.