The Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly has taken a historic step towards gender equality by passing the Maharashtra Women Farmers Empowerment Bill, 2026, becoming the first Indian state to enact dedicated legislation recognising women as farmers in their own right. Read More

The National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG), under the Partnership for Municipal Innovation - Women in Local Leadership Programme (PMI-WILL) Programme supported by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), has recently launched a three-months coaching and mentorship programme aimed at empowering young female leaders at the tertiary level. Read More

Hosted under the theme Reimagining Partnerships for Democratic Consolidation and Inclusive Development, the 2026 Ghana Civil Society Forum gathered over 700 participants in Accra from 25-26 June. The forum welcomed H.E. President John Mahama as the Special Guest of Honour, alongside keynote speaker Dr Esther Ofei-Aboagye, Social Policy and Local Governance Expert. CLGF was represented at the event by Ms Joyce Ekuful, CLGF West and Central Africa Programme Manager. Read More

CLGF was delighted to be invited to attend the UCLG World Congress in Tangier 21-25 June 2026. The meeting brought together local government actors from across the world, and it was a good chance to meet with many of CLGFs members. Read More

CLGF recently facilitated a session on the POSH Act (Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace) to elected women representatives (EWRs) and local NGO network partners in Maharashtra State, India. With a focus on rural local government frameworks, the session aligned the Act as a major step towards localising CLGF's Gender Equality Charter and wider objectives of the EU-CLGF Strategic Grant Agreement (SGA) phase IV. Read More

A new CSCN project kicked off on 25 June, focusing on empowering Caribbean local governments to manage the environmental and economic impacts of unpredictable sargassum seaweed blooms. In partnership with OECS, the initiative emphasises peer learning to help local authorities develop action plans, protect coastal livelihoods and explore sustainable economic uses for sargassum. Read More