Safeguarding and Elevating Women Mayors in Building and Maintaining Strong Cities

In partnership with Strong Cities Network, a nonpartisan, global network of 300 cities focused on addressing hate, extremism, and polarization, Sunnylands welcomed a group of women mayors and other local elected leaders from the U.S. and Canada to address the gender-based threats and violence they and their female colleagues increasingly face. This troubling trend is driving some women away from elected office, which undermines the functioning of local democracy and the crucial role that women leaders play in maintaining community cohesiveness and civic health.

In partnership with Strong Cities Network, a nonpartisan, global network of 300 cities focused on addressing hate, extremism, and polarization, Sunnylands welcomed a group of women mayors and other local elected leaders from the U.S. and Canada to address the gender-based threats and violence they and their female colleagues increasingly face. This troubling trend is driving some women away from elected office, which undermines the functioning of local democracy and the crucial role that women leaders play in maintaining community cohesiveness and civic health.

This meeting at Sunnylands in April was the first in a series of regional convenings. The collective outcomes of these meetings will include a practical toolkit designed for use by cities and local governments around the globe to both address and prevent gender-based threats and violence against local leaders and will help inform a full-day session at the Seventh Strong Cities Global Summit in Rabat, Morocco in early 2027.