The city of Buenos Aires, Argentina has created an indicator system to help mainstream Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 (gender equality) into all facets of its public policy.

The Buenos Aires Gender Indicator System (SIGBA) measures gender gaps according to three categories: physical, economic, and decision making. The city reports that its underlying objectives are to support efforts to ensure “women can easily travel and enjoy public space without aggression or violence, where they can be responsible for their own economic development, and where they can hold key decision-making positions.”

Citizen participation and open government are critical for developing policies to improve women’s autonomy. 

In a case study on using data to support its SDG 5 objectives, city leaders report that citizen participation and open government are critical for developing policies to improve women’s autonomy. This participation and open government extends to identifying data to be collected, and even in data collection. Through a project by the BA SDG 16+ Lab in the Rodrigo Bueno neighborhood of Buenos Aires, women used a mobile app to help collect data regarding their mobility and to help identify their reasons for commuting (e.g. care-related tasks, education, paid work, shopping, or leisure). The app also collected information about safety perceptions and the level of satisfaction with the means of transport.

As a result of the project, small-, medium-, and large-scale solutions have been implemented. For example, the location of a traffic sign was adjusted to improve road safety. The frequency of public transport before and after school hours was increased. And bus stops were added around new housing complexes.

The brief is part of the Brookings Institution’s ‘City Playbook for Advancing the SDGs’ series, which provides how-to briefs and case studies on advancing sustainable development and social progress locally. The briefs focus on four themes: Governance and Partnerships; Data and Measuring Progress; SDG Priorities; and Budgeting and Finance. The briefs come from cities participating in Brookings’ SDG Leadership Cities community of practice. [Publication: City Playbook for Advancing the SDGs: A collection of how-to briefs on advancing the Sustainable Development Goals locally] [Buenos Aires brief]