MAYOR ÜNLÜCE'S CALL TO WOMEN: "MAY OUR SOLIDARITY CONTINUE TO GROW"

Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality, in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and the Association 1984 (D84), organized a program aimed at strengthening women's leadership roles in local governments. Speaking on the first day of the program, Mayor Ayşe Ünlüce said, "If we are strong together, we can reach and support more women in this city and across the country. I believe this training will bring new insights to all of us, and I hope our solidarity continues to grow."

Held at Kentpark Social Library, the "Strengthening Women's Leadership in Local Governments" program focuses on the challenges faced by women leaders working in local administrations, aiming to develop strategic capacity-building efforts and create joint advocacy platforms in the field of gender equality.

Participants included Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ayşe Ünlüce, Friedrich Naumann Foundation Program Director and founder of the initiative "Things We Need to Talk About," Gülçin Sinav, D84 Programs and Administrative Affairs Coordinator Kardelen Deniz, CHP Women's Branch Vice President Figen Kâhya, women's branch leaders and representatives from CHP, MHP and İYİ Party, municipal officials, and women council members.

Emphasizing the importance of women's participation in all fields, Kardelen Deniz said, "We work to ensure that women have a greater presence in social and political life. In this context, we support the empowerment of women politicians and strive to build bridges between different structures. We believe that making public life and politics in Türkiye more rational, inclusive and fair is only possible through increasing women's representation in politics."

Gülçin Sinav congratulated Ayşe Ünlüce as Eskişehir's first woman mayor and said, "Thank you for hosting this important meeting and for being a city that gives importance to women."

Speaking at the event and emphasizing the values of the Republic, Mayor Ünlüce said:

"Efforts to strengthen and empower women in Eskişehir are extremely important. We believe that learning and education are lifelong journeys, and that this journey is especially meaningful for women. I have been involved in the women's movement for many years, taking active roles in organizations such as the Eskişehir Women's Platform and the Bar Association Women's Rights Commission. With the support of Yılmaz Büyükerşen in the early 2000s, we established the Eskişehir Women's Counseling and Solidarity Center, where we provided voluntary legal and psychological support. The stories, struggles and solidarity of women during this period showed us that we were doing the right thing. But we also learned that it is essential to avoid hierarchical language within the women's movement, because violence does not discriminate based on education, income or social status. For this reason, trainings like this are crucial for women to learn from one another, draw strength from each other, and expand solidarity. Increasing women's participation in politics and local governments is as important as ensuring that women support one another. If we are strong together, we can reach more women in this city and across the country. I believe this training will bring us all new awareness, and I hope our solidarity continues to grow."

The "Strengthening Women's Leadership in Local Governments" program will continue tomorrow at Kentpark Social Library with various training sessions.