With the support of EUROCLIMA+, Colombia is developing its first National Active Mobility Strategy with a differentiated gender approach.
The way in which the diversity of people - men, women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities - move through public space is different. It varies in terms of inclusion, accessibility, safety, comfort, and other factors.
It is important that mobility planning leaves no one behind and meets differentiated mobility needs. This is the way to achieve egalitarian, equitable and sustainable cities. For this reason, Colombia is advancing in the development of its National Strategy for Active Mobility (ENMA) with a gender-differentiated approach, which is supported by the EUROCLIMA+ programme and implemented by German Development Cooperation (GIZ).
This initiative will define a series of guidelines that will allow regional and local governments to promote and encourage active mobility, understanding the differences that exist in the different territories of the country.
“It is clear to us that girls, women, people with disabilities and other users of the various active modes have different views. By recognising this variety of needs in the ENMA we will achieve cities that are more friendly, accessible, inclusive, safe and therefore enjoyable for all," explained Ángela María Orozco, Minister of Transport of Colombia.
In the framework of International Women's Day, we spoke with women counterparts who are leading this initiative, who shared their experience with us regarding the methodology, learning and expectations that they have within the Ministry of Transport with respect to this action supported by the EUROCLIMA+ programme.
An initiative led by women
Although transport is a sector generally associated with men, the institution led by Minister Ángela María Orozco has guaranteed institutional support to ensure gender mainstreaming and a gender approach in the different mobility and transport projects.
Proof of this is the creation of the Sectoral Committee for the coordination and implementation of the National Public Policy on Gender Equality in the transport sector, which brings together the Ministry's management bodies through an action plan on the issue that includes measures, indicators and concrete actions.
The team developing the ENMA is mostly made up of women: 9 of the 11 people are women with backgrounds in science, engineering, applied mathematics, social sciences and humanities.
"The fact that ENMA has a gender team in different places says a lot. It is a project that from the very beginning has been conceived with a series of women professionals who accompany us here," said Paula Pinilla, Advisor for issues of Gender in Mobility, Environmental Affairs and Sustainable Development Group of the Ministry of Transport.
"The fact that this project, from the very beginning, says and specifies that there is a differential gender approach. This is the plus of the bill that that says yes, or yes we must do it." added María Paula Hernández, Gender Expert, National Active Mobility Strategy formulation team, EAFIT University.
Seeking transformations at the local level
Active mobility is mobility that involves only the human body for travel, such as walking, cycling or skateboarding. While the ENMA focuses on this type of mobility, it seeks to encourage intermodality and last mile travel with other modes of transport.
For this reason, diagnostic and field work has begun in various cities and regions of Colombia, so that there is up-to-date information that analyses the different experiences of the variety of people and territories in the country.
“We need to keep in mind that all these dynamics of mobility of territories are about generating, supplying or satisfying those needs that people have. It is a mix of several issues: connecting different modes of transport; understanding the travel needs of diverse people; and how we can resolve those needs", said Diana Ardila, Advisor for Active Mobility issues, Environmental Affairs and Sustainable Development Group of the Ministry of Transport.
Towards sustainability for all
The National Active Mobility Strategy (ENMA) has promoted inter-institutional and intersectoral coordination with other ministries in the areas of environment, health, sport, culture, territory, among others. "In the Strategy we understand mobility as a whole, the body of men and women and their diversities that move in public space," said Paula Pinilla.
It is with the joint effort of different key actors from the public and private sectors and communities that we work under the vision of putting people at the centre, understanding the multiplicity and differences that exist in this concept.
"Urban mobility is sustainable over time when there is commitment from different actors and different sectors to make it happen," added Paula Pinilla.
In this way, the ENMA seeks to generate cultural changes, so that the benefits of different modes of active mobility become attractive for people to migrate away from motorised mobility.
A vision for the future
From a long-term vision, the ENMA will contain guidelines that will allow municipalities to implement actions in the short, medium and long term. To achieve this, it is expected that the actions of the ENMA will be reflected in management and development plans with concrete actions and a designated budget.
This means that there is something binding in terms of indicators, but there is transversal work from different national and municipal agencies, as well as metropolitan and governmental areas to validate what is established in the ENMA", explained Alejandra Álvarez, Coordinator of the National Active Mobility Strategy formulation team, Expert in Gender and Active Mobility, EAFIT University.
One of the dreams shared by the ENMA team is the social construction and cultural transformation of mobility through a network of cities for active mobility. It is also to lay the foundations for the issue to become something inherent and appropriated by the citizens, and in this way, transcend changes of government.
For her part, the Minister of Transport, Ángela María Orozco, thanked the EUROCLIMA+ programme and GIZ for supporting the formulation of this Strategy.
“We know that thanks to this committed work our ENMA will become an example for countries in the region on how to manage active mobility in their cities," she said.
About EUROCLIMA+
EUROCLIMA+ is a programme funded by the European Union and co-financed by the German federal government through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as by the governments of France and Spain through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.
The Programme's mission is to reduce the impact of climate change and its effects in 18 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, promoting mitigation, adaptation, resilience and climate investment. It is implemented according to the "Spirit of Team Europe" under the synergistic work of seven agencies: the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the French Development Agency (AFD), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Expertise France (EF), the International and Ibero-America Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) GmbH, and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
For more information:
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