Women in Local Government Forum

TTALGA has as part of its objective to build capacity amongst its members and to work toward a more efficient and effective operation of Local Government within Trinidad and Tobago. 

TTALGA at this stage of its development is desirous of establishing a women's arm built on the tenets of Gender Equality and Inclusivity as established by SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls (See: Do You Know All 17 SDGs?). The Association strives to build competency in Local Governance and improve relationships through networking with national, regional and international organizations so as to facilitate the efforts employed to improve women's professional and social issues at the local level. Focus is also directed to supporting development and empowerment of women's participation in Local Government.

TTALGA is also a subsidiary of the Caribbean Association of Local Government Authorities, a not for profit organization established to facilitate the further development of Local Government within the Caribbean region.

Aims and Objectives

TTALGA's Executive Board on 17th January, 2018, took the decision to establish a Women's Arm whose primary aim would be to support and build capacity of women in local government. The establishment of the TTALGA Women in Local Government Forum (TTALGA-WLGF) will formulate and support initiatives targeted toward supporting gender issues inclusive of increased political participation and equal representation in local governance. The work of the forum will be conducted through a standing committee of TTALGA named; Women in Local Government Forum Committee. The goals and objectives of the TTALGA-WLGF are:

• Working with existing women local government representatives with the aim of building their capacity by identifying some of the barriers and challenges to equal participation

• Working with prospective candidates in an attempt to encourage participation at the community level

• Working with political parties to encourage inclusivity and legislation specifically geared toward developing gender perspective

• Establishing a network of partners nationally involving village Councils, all civil society women's groups, with a view to raising the awareness and building capacity among women and past women representatives

• Working closer within local communities in decision making and to aid in the support of initiatives related to women by building a network of effective partners and support structures.

• Encourage local municipalities to integrate a gender perspective into policies, programs and service delivery activities

• Interacting and collaborate with women's organizations regionally and internationally so as to share experiences and good practices in an effort to effectively deal with issues impacting women and children.

• Conduct research on how to increase women's participation in local government in order to demonstrate the importance of local government for women

• Work closely with the Caribbean Association of Local Government Authorities(CALGA), Commonwealth Women in Local Government Network (ComWLG)

Structure of the Committee

A committee shall be established as a sub-committee of the executive comprising of a Chairperson, two Lady Vice Chairmen and committee members.

The Lady Chairperson shall be a member of the TTALGA Executive Board and selected by the TTALGA Executive. The two Vice Chairpersons shall also be selected from among the female Board Members. In the vein of maintaining a fair and an unbiased position, the Chairperson and two Vice-Chairpersons will represent all political parties represented in Trinidad. Committee members will consist of one (1) selected female local government representative from each of the 14 Municipalities. That member will be selected by the respective Councils. General membership will be extended to all female representatives throughout local government.

The work of the Forum will be executed through the committee who will assist in developing and supporting initiatives and projects to meet the goals outlined. The committee will work in conjunction with the general membership and key stakeholders(for example, Civil Society groups and Faith Based Organizations). Projects and initiatives will also focus on ensuring that all Trinidadian women have a meaningful voice in the decisions affecting their daily lives.

Tentative Plan of Action for TTALGA Women in Local Government Committee (TTALGA-WLG) 

Project Name: Toward establishing a national network of Women in Local Government 

Item #	Activity	Delivery Timeframe	Person Responsible	Resources Required
1	Establish terms of reference for the committee	Draft Completed	Abena Hartley	TTALGA
2	Submit TOR to TTALGA Executive	March Meeting 2021	Abena Hartley
3	Establish Committee Members	March 2021	TTALGA Board	Selected Chairman, Vice Chairman, TTALGA Executive Members to select female representative from each Council.
4	Meeting of the Committee	First week in April 2021	Chairperson	TTALGA Staff, Chairperson and Vice Chair, Commonwealth Women in Local Government Network.
5	Launch of the TTALGA-Women in Local Government Forum	April 2021	April 2021	TTALGA staff, Commonwealth Women in Local Government Network.