Completed

Oeste + Igual

Comunidade Intermunicipal do Oeste ·Portugal

€250k

Grant awarded

Work-life Balance and Gender Equality

Programme

30 October 2020

Signed

About this project

The Oeste +Igual Project intends to be a pilot project in the implementation of policies and good practices in the areas of Gender Equality and Reconciliation of Professional, Family and Personal Life. With OesteCIM as promoter and Center for Gender and Equality (Norway) as project partner, the project will promote a sharing of experience and good practices between the partner and the intercity structure of OesteCIM. This sharing will make it possible to design effective policies that meet the identified needs, optimizing the use of resources and constantly measuring the impact of the measures implemented. The Oeste +Igual project aims to: <ul> <li>Constitute itself as a pilot project in the development and implementation of effective policies and instruments in the areas of Gender Equality and Reconciliation of Professional, Family and Personal Life, in the 12 municipalities of OesteCIM, in partnership with CGE.</li> <li>Share experiences and good practices in the areas of Work-life Balance and Gender Equality between CGE and OesteCIM.</li> <li>Capitalize and promote the scalability of the results of projects previously promoted by the EEA Grants program, through the implementation of instruments and indicators provided by the Local Gender Equality project.</li> <li>Implement tools to promote equality between women and men in local and regional policies.</li> <li>Promote the scalability of the project's results to the other intermunicipal communities (CIM).</li> <li>Implement joint measures and actions that contribute to the territorialization of ENIND (National Strategy for Equality and Non-Discrimination) and respective action plans.</li> </ul>

Bilateral cooperation results

The Oeste + Igual project achieved strong bilateral results through its collaboration with the Center for Gender and Equality (CGE) in Norway, strengthening ties between Portugal and Norway and establishing a solid foundation for long-term cooperation. A major achievement was the creation of the Oeste Observatory for Gender Equality, inspired by the Norwegian model, ensuring the continued collection, analysis, and monitoring of gender equality data in the Oeste Region beyond the project’s duration. Key phases of cooperation included the kick-off meeting with teams from both countries, the participatory diagnosis integrating methodologies from previous EEA Grants projects, and the development and implementation of the Action Plan, which involved training sessions, workshops, and partner meetings. The project also adapted Norway’s EQUALITYMONITOR tools, leading to the creation of 13 key indicators for gender equality in the Oeste Region. Experts such as Hanne Drangsholt from the University of Agder, Norway, contributed to consortium meetings, while online follow-up meetings helped establish the Observatory, define equality measures, and monitor progress. The final seminar featured key speakers like Claudia Klostergaard from the University of Agder and Gerd Pettersen, Deputy Head of Mission at the Norwegian Embassy in Portugal, further reinforcing the exchange of experiences and best practices. This collaboration expanded the project’s reach and effectiveness, ensuring that the knowledge and tools developed will have a lasting impact on gender equality initiatives in both Portugal and Norway.

Project partners

University of Adger Donor project partner· Norway

Portugal country profile Other projects in this programme Project website