AFD supports the municipalities of Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir to promote women's access to employment and combat harassment in the public transport sector.

AFD, has signed three grant agreements with Şehir Hatları, the Istanbul municipality's maritime transport operator, EGO the Ankara municipality's bus operator, and ESHOT the Izmir municipality's bus operator. This funding of 300,000 euros aims to support the public transport operators, with the amount of 100,000 euros each, in their efforts to facilitate women's access to jobs in this sector and combat harassment on public transport. 

Through communication campaigns and targeted training, this grant aims to improve the employability of women in the transport sector, combat gender-based discrimination in employment, develop career prospects for female employees and combat harassment of female passengers in urban transport. 

AFD is committed to taking gender into account in all the projects it finances and all its countries and sectors of operation. It finances projects to increase women's access to basic services, combat violence against women, improve women's access to the labor market, and promote their participation in governance.

• AFD CEO Rémy Rioux stated : “AFD stands alongside Turkish municipalities to support gender equality, social inclusion and better access for women to the world of work and public services through sustainable and inclusive mobility. For two decades now, the issue of accessibility and improving public transport has been at the heart of the cooperation between Türkiye and AFD, with a dozen projects to date with numerous cities”. Through this partnership with Sehir Hatlari, ESHOT and EGO, he recalled that AFD wishes to support cities in the employability of women in the transport sector, the continuing education of employees in the sector and access to employment by training in non-discriminatory recruitment, and in the fight against harassment in urban transport.”

Türkiye’s municipalities are actively working on combining mobility and gender equality. AFD already designed a technical assistance program to support these measures and encourage dialogue in the of cities Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. Thanks to its expertise in this area, AFD is carrying out urban transport projects that contribute both to the transition towards a low-carbon society and to the evolution of a fairer and more inclusive society in Türkiye.

Press contact :

Gabriel Jacquet / jacquetg@afd.fr / +90 506 601 96 13

About AFD Group :

The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Group funds, supports and accelerates the transitions to a fairer and more sustainable world. Focusing on climate, biodiversity, peace, education, urban development, health and governance, our teams carry out more than 3,600 projects in France’s overseas departments and territories and another 160 countries. In this way, we contribute to the commitment of France and French people to support the sustainable development goals.

AFD Group implements France’s policy in the areas of development and international solidarity. The Group includes Agence Française de Développement (AFD), which finances the public sector and NGOs, as well as research and education in sustainable development; its subsidiary Proparco, which is dedicated to private sector financing; and Expertise France, the technical cooperation agency