First meeting of Tabasco State female mayors and high-ranking officials

Mexico is one of the most gender-balanced countries in terms of political representation of women in decision-making positions. In parliament, 50% of seats in both Houses are taken by women, and at the state Executive Branch, 13 out of the 32 states have been governed, at least once, by a woman. Currently, there are nine women governors (28%) in 32 states. At the municipal level, women's participation has grown gradually, and in the last elections, women took 25.9% of the positions in the municipal offices and a whopping 52.4% in the councils.

It is important to acknowledge, protect, and reinforce this increased participation of women in politics. Nonetheless, women in politics continue to face barriers to becoming candidates, elected officials, and to holding on to the positions for which they are elected or appointed. Therefore, during the meeting, participants had a chance to share the political, economic, and social challenges they face as women in politics, and to exchange experiences and policies targeting women or with a gender approach.

They all agreed that one of the main challenges is the political violence they undergo as women, and the difficulty to be recognized and legitimized in power spheres and decision-making bodies where they operate.

Carla Bustillos Rodríguez, Secretary for Economic Development and Competitiveness of the State of Tabasco, welcomed participants to the event and thanked the guests for joining the meeting, which takes place for the first time in the state and in Mexico. She also thanked CAF for being a strategic partner in the development of the State.

CAF Representative in Mexico René Orellana stressed the bank's role in Mexico and especially in the State of Tabasco, underscoring the technical cooperation programs for regional integration, as well as loans from financial institutions, technical cooperation with various states, and the relationship with the central government.

During the workshop moderated by Marcella Zub and Guadalupe Aguirre, specialists from the Gender, Diversity, and Inclusion Department, the female mayors and other officials from the State of Tabasco shared the public gender policies they are implementing in their cities, including training the local police with a gender approach, social development and land titling programs prioritizing women, economic empowerment programs for women entrepreneurs to expand their ventures through access to microfinance and other work tools, or to join the job market through training in traditional and non-traditional trades, scholarships for women, and prevention and assistance programs for gender-based violence.

The mayors of the State of Tabasco who participated:

• Luisa del Carmen Cámara Cabrales, Balancán
• Lluvia Salas López, Centla
• Yolanda del Carmen Osuna Huerta, Centro
• Nuris López Sánchez, Jalpa de Méndez
• Ana Luisa Castellanos, Paraíso

For the Tabasco State Government:

• Carla Bustillos Rodríguez, Secretary for Economic Development and Competitiveness
• Karla Cantoral Domínguez, General Legal Affairs Department
• Juana Sánchez Ramos, Mobility Secretary
• Xanath Alexandra Rebolledo Gonzales, Secretary of Culture