Eastern Mediterranean University Urban Research and Development Center (EMU-URDC) released a statement on the occasion of 8 March International Women’s Day. The message reads as follows:

“The fifth of the 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development, set by the United Nations in 2015 to eradicate extreme poverty, combat inequality and injustice, and take measures against climate change, by 2030 is to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls.

Dating back to 1800s, the 2023 theme for 8 March International Women’s Day is set as “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality” with the intention of emphasizing the need for inclusive and transformative technology and digital education within the scope of ‘Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular, information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women’ sub-goal of 5th global goal (SGD5). While advances in digital technology offer significant opportunities to address development and humanitarian challenges and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, they also pose the risk of perpetuating existing patterns of gender inequality.

Gender inequalities and the role of women in society, city and urban culture have an important place in multidimensional urban studies. Issues such as gender discrimination, inequalities, and the vulnerabilities of women and girls that still persist around the world; violence, including sexual and all forms of abuse, against all women and girls in public and private spaces, and women and individuals who feel insecure and vulnerable as a result; inequality in access and use of public spaces due to lack of security and fear of women; decisions taken without considering the needs of women, children and genders in the physical planning of the city and the design of the urban space; urban planning and local policies that do not prioritize gender equality are among the most important issues in contemporary planning and urban design theory.

Our Center, which is aware of the necessity of solidarity and joint struggle in the ongoing conflict environments, disasters, inequalities and injustices in various parts of the world, and of the necessity of producing scientific studies in this sense, believes that the problems arising from gender inequalities are not only the problems of women, but the whole society and humanity.

In this respect, EMU Urban Research and Development Center will support all kinds of projects to ensure gender equality and empower all women and girls, in a way that supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals, to support innovation and technological change and education in the digital age; In this sense, it is ready to produce and implement 'non-sexist' inclusive projects with local governments to improve urban public spaces and produce women-friendly cities and spaces.”