Local governments play a crucial role in the fulfillment of human rights, as they are the closest level of governance responsible for ensuring access to people’s daily and life-sustaining needs. Municipalities are where human rights are most tangibly experienced through access to housing, water and sanitation, energy, mobility, public space, social and care services, and a healthy environment. This direct proximity to residents makes the integration of a human rights–based approach not optional, but essential to local governance.
The localization of human rights is particularly critical in urban contexts, where cities increasingly function both as spaces of opportunity and as sites of deepening inequality. Spatial segregation, uneven access to basic services, informal housing, climate vulnerability, and socio-economic exclusion are often concentrated and reproduced at the local level, turning cities into key arenas where rights are realized.
The role of Marmara Municipalities Union (MMU) is to support the capacity development of municipalities and to strengthen the institutions that deliver services directly to citizens. MMU works to enhance the institutional capacities of local governments so that municipalities can more effectively fulfill their responsibilities toward residents. All MMU’s capacity-building activities are grounded in a human rights–based approach to local service delivery. At their core, these efforts promote the provision of municipal services that respect and uphold citizens’ rights, aim to reduce inequalities, and foster the inclusion, visibility, and meaningful participation of marginalized and vulnerable groups. By supporting municipalities through this shared vision, MMU also plays an active advocacy role at both national and international levels, representing and amplifying the perspectives of local governments committed to inclusive and equitable urban development.
MMU is motivated to join the UCLG Global Campaign of Human Rights as it strongly aligns with our core mission to strengthen local governments and promote rights-based, inclusive, and equitable local governance. Joining this global campaign will enable MMU to further support municipalities in integrating human rights principles into local policies. By engaging in this campaign, MMU seeks to amplify the voices of municipalities from the Marmara Region in global discussions, contribute local perspectives to international human rights and urban agendas, and strengthen multi-level cooperation.
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Migration and Social Policy Center (Link)
Migration and Social Policy Center: Since 2015, the Migration and Social Policy Center has been carrying out activities on the topics such as migration, population movements, demography, social policies, social development, social services, care, gender equality, social cohesion, integration, coexistence, urban belonging, and social resilience within the framework of Marmara Municipalities Union (MMU). The Center functions as an interworking platform bringing together municipalities, public institutions, civil society, academia, and international organizations. It contributes to the construction of cities with high quality of life and to encourage the development of fair, inclusive and participatory social service models and social policies.
Migration and Social Cohesion Committee at the Council: MMU has also established Türkiye’s first Migration and Social Cohesion Committee at the local level, composed of mayors and councilors from different cities, providing long-term policy guidance and reinforcing political ownership of rights-based migration governance.
Migration and Social Services Platforms: MMU has established two Platforms with the purpose of:
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Facilitating coordination among its 190+ members and lays the groundwork for sharing information and experience,
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Identifying demands and needs of the member municipalities and develops solution recommendations,
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Carrying out activities aiming to support capacity development of its members.
These Platforms:
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Migration Platform consists solely of representatives of the departments of MMU’s member municipalities working for refugees and migrants in areas such as migration governance, social inclusion, and belonging.
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Social Services Platform consists of representatives of the departments of MMU’s member municipalities working in areas such as social policies, social services, care, psychosocial support, social assistance, and addiction. Social Services Platform addresses the needs of vulnerable groups including children, women, the elderly, persons with disabilities, youth, people at risk of poverty, migrants, refugees, the homeless, individuals, caregivers, persons with chronic illnesses, and others at risk of social exclusion.
Projects: These efforts are complemented by large-scale projects. The RESLOG Project (2018–2025), implemented with SALAR International and supported by SIDA, has positioned MMU as a key actor in strengthening local governments’ resilience for migration governance through capacity development, peer learning, policy dialogue, research, and socially and gender-sensitive local actions. Currently, MMU is also implementing an EU-funded European Union Scholarships Project (2023–2026) in partnership with ICMPD, which aims to increase access to higher education and employment pathways for Syrian students under temporary protection, international protection beneficiaries, and Turkish students.
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Reclaiming Streets Program (Link)
Through its Local Government Academy, MMU implements capacity-building and learning programs to support municipal experts and policymakers in developing rights-based and inclusive approaches to local service delivery. These programs equip municipalities with analytical tools, technical skills, and practical knowledge to identify inequalities in urban space and address them through inclusive policy and design interventions.
One key example is the Reclaiming Streets Program, developed in partnership with Superpool and the Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI) and has been running since 2022. The program frames street transformation as a human rights–based urban policy by recognizing streets not merely as traffic corridors, but as essential public spaces where multiple rights intersect. Streets are among the most accessible and widely used public assets in cities, and their design directly shapes people’s ability to move safely, participate in public life, access services, and exercise their right to the city.
By prioritizing safe, accessible, and inclusive streets, the program addresses structural inequalities embedded in car-oriented urban design, which disproportionately exclude children, caregivers, older people, people with disabilities, and those without access to private vehicles.
To date, Reclaiming Streets has transformed 15 streets, covering approximately 10,000 m² and reclaiming them for children and caregivers. By October 2025, we aim to double this impact. With the start of its fourth cycle in 2025, the program has expanded to include 26 municipalities across six cities in the Marmara Region.
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Gender Equality Plan (Link)
MMU implements a comprehensive Gender Equality Plan that guides both its internal governance and its support to municipalities, ensuring that gender equality is systematically integrated into institutional practices and local service delivery. The Plan is regularly reviewed and monitored, enabling MMU to assess its impact and strengthen accountability and learning.
To operationalize this commitment, MMU delivers a wide range of capacity-building programs, training, and policy dialogue platforms aimed at embedding gender equality into local governance.
In partnership with Metropolis, MMU further advanced this agenda through the Metropolis Solutions Lab, organizing workshop series on “Supporting Caregivers (Care)” and “Strengthening Women’s Leadership.” The “Solutions Lab: Improving Care Systems and Empowering Women Leaders” combined online sessions with an in-person meeting hosted in Istanbul bringing together 26 senior municipal managers from 11 metropolitan municipalities.
To operationalize this commitment, MMU delivers a wide range of capacity-building programs, training, and policy dialogue platforms aimed at embedding gender equality into local governance structures and decision-making processes. A key example is the training program “Strategic Plan Perspectives: Gender-Responsive Strategic Planning,” which supports municipalities in integrating gender analysis, equality objectives, and measurable indicators into local strategic plans. In addition, the training “Role of Municipalities in Combating Violence Against Women” strengthens municipal capacities to prevent and respond to gender-based violence through rights-based and coordinated local action. In parallel, Women Municipal Councilors Meetings serve as peer-learning and exchange platforms that enhance women’s political participation and leadership in local governance.