Networking

The equal opportunities officers of the city region regularly exchange information on current topics of equal opportunities work in the municipalities in networking meetings, consisting of formalized forums, organize joint training courses and provide collegial advice.

The Gender Mainstreaming Committee is the working body of the Regional Working Group of Gender Equality Officers (RAG) in the Aachen economic region. It consists of representatives of the RAG, who are elected every two years. The RAG consists of 37 equal opportunities officers from the districts of Düren, Euskirchen and Heinsberg as well as the StädteRegion Aachen and the city of Aachen. The representatives of the Gender Mainstreaming Committee are advisory members of labor market and structural policy committees. Their task is to introduce and address aspects relevant to gender equality in the regional structural policy committees of the Aachen economic region.

The Women's Network StädteRegion Aachen e.V. stands for networking, bundling and strengthening the interests of women from around 60 organizations in the region. Both project groups and permanent specialist committees, which are also open to non-members, exist to work on content. The aim is to strengthen women's positions in all areas of life. Equal Opportunities Officer Sabine Bausch has also been Chairwoman of the Women's Network since 2023. The women's network sees itself as the voice for gender equality in the StädteRegion Aachen. The aim is to break down barriers, create opportunities and promote an inclusive society in which gender diversity is respected and celebrated.

The specialist committees of the women's network work on the following topics:

• Work
• Education week
• Digitization
• Feminist regulars' table
• Forum E
• Violence against women
• Prostitution

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The Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Gleichstellungsbeauftragten NRW is a state-wide network of around 370 municipal women's and equal opportunities officers in North Rhine-Westphalia. Lobbying for the interests of women is its central concern. The LAG NRW offers its members a forum for a state-wide exchange of information and experiences, the development of joint positions on women's policy issues and the preparation of materials and recommendations for action for local work. The LAG NRW informs the public about the goals of municipal equality work and organizes meetings and specialist conferences. It sees itself as a self-organization of its members.

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In the NRW Association of Cities, the equal opportunities offices are networked with each other as well as with the relevant departments of the state government in the Conference of Equal Opportunities Officers from the state's cities. Delegates from this body are sent to the specialist committees of the Association of Cities and Towns. The Equal Opportunities Officer is currently the elected delegate for the Social Committee of the NRW Association of Cities and Towns. She has chaired the Conference of Equal Opportunities Officers since 2025.

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The Federal Association of Gender Equality Officers is the nationwide interest group for municipal women's and gender equality officers. They offer networking, promote dialog on women's and gender equality policy as well as the transfer of knowledge among themselves and the exchange of good practice examples. Together with other nationwide associations, they lobby for more gender equality and advocate for good local conditions so that the various municipal decisions can be implemented in a gender equality-oriented manner. As "agents of change", they intervene in political and administrative action and are committed to women's and gender political justice and against multiple discrimination. They offer constructive criticism of political structures and decisions and put forward women's and gender policy proposals for change.

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Since December 2021, the City of Aachen has been a member of the Diversity Network, which focuses on professional and collegial exchange for open, diverse and sustainable cities with diversity management. The network partners are municipalities and federal states across Germany that support each other with measures, pass on information and exchange ideas at network meetings that take place twice a year.

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This network brings together people who work on LGBTQIA* issues in local authorities in NRW. The thematic focus of the collegial exchange included sanitary facilities, violence against queer people at CSD (Christopher Street Day) events, dealing with TERF (Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminism) and networking opportunities with the Federal Government's Queer Commissioner.

The nationwide network consists of equal opportunities officers, LGBTQIA+ coordinators and people who work in these areas in local government. The network discusses points of contact between the topics and difficulties with demarcations or connections. As a network, an exchange with BAG spokespersons took place in fall 2022 in order to seek cooperation between the BAG and the network and to expand the network.