The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) is proud to announce the launch of the Community of Practice (CoP) for Gender-Inclusive Mobility, an initiative aimed at fostering gender-responsive urban transport systems across India. This CoP is a collaborative effort with esteemed partners including The World Bank Group, WRI India, and GIZ, anchored by NIUA.

COP is officially being launched at Uddeshya 2025: Towards Gender-Responsive Mobility Systems on March 4, 2025. Register here to be a part of Uddeshya 2025.

What is the Community of Practice for Gender-Inclusive Mobility?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently emphasized the pivotal role of women-led development in achieving India's goal of becoming a $5 trillion economy. He asserts that empowering women is not only a matter of social justice but also a strategic economic imperative.

Urban mobility is vital for access to jobs, education, and healthcare. For women, a safe, reliable transport system is essential for economic participation. With urban female workforce participation at just 28% (Economic Survey 2023-24), enhancing mobility is crucial to unlocking India’s full potential. Ensuring women's inclusion at all levels in the transport sector itself is crucial for creating a safe and gender-sensitive transport system.

Despite growing recognition of gender inclusion and safety in transport sector, resource constraints hinder large-scale impact. Integrating gender aspects in transport planning requires cross-sector collaboration across urban and transport planning, social sciences, and finance. A Community of Practice (CoP) can provide platform for taking up discussions, knowledge sharing, co-develop solutions, and scale best-practices to a larger audience. It will also look at international collaborations and partnerships to further expand its outreach.

The CoP aims to:

• Build a robust network of professionals and organisations committed to advancing gender-responsive urban mobility in Indian cities.
• Strengthen inclusive planning practices by fostering cross-sectoral linkages and expanding existing networks.
• Enhance capacity across the mobility ecosystem to integrate gender considerations, leveraging members's unique experiences and expertise.
• Facilitate scaling and explore possibility of replication of gender-responsive mobility solutions across diverse contexts.
• Support female participation in the sector through wider dissemination of best practices and mentorship programs
• Take up policy level discussions with various stakeholders towards the agenda of gender inclusive mobility

Activities of the CoP (2025-26)

The CoP will be officially launched on 4th March 2025 during WRI India’s annual event- Uddeshya 2025. The inaugural year of the CoP will focus on establishing a strong foundation through the following key initiatives:

• Knowledge Platform Establishment: The CoP will consolidate resources such as knowledge products, training modules, and materials from various organizations to serve as a comprehensive knowledge platform.
• Regular Newsletters: A quarterly newsletter will be disseminated to keep members and stakeholders informed about the CoP's activities and developments.
• Workshops: Annual and regional workshops will be organized to bring together all CoP members, and engage with multiple cities and para-statal agencies for in-depth discussions, knowledge sharing, strategic planning, and localized solution building.
• Promotion of Gender and Mobility Training: Cities will be encouraged to undertake certification programmes/ learning resources on Gender and Mobility made available on the National Urban Learning Platform (NULP) to build capacity at the local level.

Joining the CoP

The CoP welcomes a diverse range of stakeholders committed to advancing gender-responsive urban mobility in Indian cities, including:

• International development agencies
• Research institutions and think tanks
• Women and gender minority advocacy groups
• Civil society and not-for-profit organizations
• Financial institutions
• Urban designers and planners
• Technology and innovation start-ups
• Private sector representatives in India
• By joining the CoP, members will contribute to building a comprehensive resource pool that reflects both local contexts and global best practices. This collaborative space will enable stakeholders from diverse backgrounds to engage, share expertise, and amplify the voices of local communities.

Joining the COP offers numerous benefits, including access to a common calendar of events, webinars, workshops, and training sessions organized by members. It also provides an opportunity to leverage NIUA’s extensive network of cities to expand outreach and amplify impact. Members can benefit from shared resources as the COP serves as a platform to disseminate the impact of gender-related initiatives to a diverse group of stakeholders and engage with experts, professionals, and decision-makers. Furthermore, the platform fosters collaboration on various initiatives and research efforts, driving collective progress in this space.

To become a member, please fill out this form.

For more information/ queries on the CoP for Gender-Responsive Mobility, please reach out to Krishna Desai (krishna.desai@giz.de) and Harshita Jamba (harshita.jamba@wri.org).

Register here