Our work
Metropolis champions the integration of gender equality in urban and metropolitan policies and advocates for the inclusion of gender equality in global agendas. We want to build thriving, equitable metropolises where everyone has the opportunity to succeed.
Fostering local care systems is central to this ambition. By addressing the care imbalance, cities can reduce poverty and inequality—ensuring a better quality of life for everyone.
The four pillars of Metropolis’ transformative care agenda
Advocacy
Through its targeted and strategic advocacy, Metropolis amplifies the voices of its member cities and mobilises support for the care agenda. This includes through participation and representation in key global and local fora, and its Metropolis Care Campaign, which champions care and caregivers as indispensable to inclusive, equitable and sustainable cities.
Knowledge sharing
To support city governments in developing their own local care systems, Metropolis has developed a living toolkit which localizes the ILO’s 5R Framework for Decent Care Work, offering cities strategies to recognize, reduce and redistribute unpaid care work and reward and represent care workers.
Exchange
Through workshops, Metropolis brings together diverse local and metropolitan governments to share solutions and exchange around a common challenge. In 2024, its Solutions Labs gathered Latin American and Middle Eastern cities in Istanbul, and African cities together in Dakar, to explore how to create gender-sensitive local care systems.
Resourcing
Recognising that local governments are commonly resource-scarce, the International Fund for Metropolises: Local Care Systems awards grants of up to €100,000 to support cities pilot new approaches, scale existing efforts or replicate best practices that address the challenge of women’s time poverty in cities. Applications are due 29 November 2024.
Policy exchange
Metropolis Solutions Labs for Global Cities
In June 2024, Metropolis Solutions Lab #9 brought together cities from across the world in Istanbul, to explore women’s time poverty, the unequal distribution of care work and how local governments can build inclusive care systems.
Through our conversations, we identified several shared challenges and found the following key takeaways:
Cities should start by mapping existing local care services, infrastructure and stakeholders and make the most of these existing resources.
Understanding of the data available is key to addressing local needs.
Harmful social norms can be shifted through education and campaigns involving men and women.
Local governments should couple services for caregivers and care-receivers, prioritizing simultaneity, proximity and flexibility.
A strong narrative is needed to build political will and interdepartmental collaboration.
