Recently, a gender toolkit based on “Enabling Gender-Responsive Urban Mobility and Public Spaces” was launched at a session organized by the World Bank and Chennai Urban Metropolitan Transport Authority.
What is the Gender Toolkit of the World Bank?
The World Bank has developed a two-toolkit that outlines a four-pillar implementation framework for urban institutions to build gender-responsive urban transport and public space programs.
Assessment of Ground Situation: The first pillar involves assessing the current reality on the ground, including understanding mobility patterns, security issues and gender gap in infrastructure and policy inadequacies.
Strengthening planning and policies: The second pillar calls for reforming planning and policies to include gender as a lens in planning and to encourage gender inclusion among institutions and policy makers.
Awareness and Capacity Building: The third pillar focuses on increasing knowledge and capacity.
Infrastructure: The fourth pillar prioritizes infrastructure reform with a gender lens. In addition, the World Bank has provided guidance on each pillar.
Need :-
1. Women’s safety and unique travel needs are generally not taken into account when designing public transportation systems.
2. This severely hinders their access to jobs, education and lifestyle choices.
3. India has one of the lowest female labor force participation rates globally at 26.2 per cent in 2020-21.
4. In Indian cities, women make up a significant portion of public transport users.
5. According to estimates, public, intermediate public and non-motorized transport account for 84 per cent of the trips taken by women to work.
6. There are fundamental differences in the way men and women travel. By comparison, 45.4 percent of women and 27.4 percent of men usually go to work.
7. More women take the bus than men, and they are more inclined to plan their trips after considering affordability. Due to the high cost of fast modes of transport, they often choose slow ones.
Recommendations :-
1. The research also suggests a number of transport and public space improvements, particularly for women who frequently use non-motorized transport, such as adequate street lighting and better pathways for walking and cycling.
2. According to the survey, developing fair rent rules can increase the number of women and other genders.
3. Setting up a good grievance redressal structure will help in fast-tracking reports of sexual harassment.
Importance :-
1.The World Bank’s toolkit attempts to address gender issues with urban planning and mobility.
2. Men, women and gender minorities have different perspectives on cities.
3. The World Bank Toolkit provides resources to help these groups better understand and address gender-differentiated mobility patterns, strengthen policies, and create infrastructure tailored to their needs.
4. This toolkit will be helpful in discussions on urban planning and mobility as Indian urban local bodies and transport agencies begin to understand the demands of diverse commuters.
World Bank :-
The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA) are two of the five international institutions of the World Bank Group, known as the World Bank.
It was formed at the Bretton Woods Conference of 1944 along with the International Monetary Fund. The World Bank Group is a global partnership of 189 countries and five constituent organizations committed to reducing poverty and promoting prosperity. The five development institutions of the World Bank Group are:
1. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
2. International Development Association (IDA)
3. International Finance Corporation (IFC)
4. Multilateral Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
5. International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)
Development Objective of the Chennai City Partnership: Sustainable Urban Services Program for India – Outcome Project. This is to strengthen institutions and improve the quality and financial sustainability of selected urban services in the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA). The new Chennai 2030 program (2021-2030) of the Government of Tamil Nadu aims to accelerate the transformation of Chennai into a green, liveable, competitive and resilient city.
