Founded by the Romans in 183bc, Parma is acity of about 200.000 inhabitants and it’s located in the westwern part of the Emilia Romagna Region, halfway between Milan and Bologne. It is a city with a glorious past: it’s one of those places where art, music, literature, history, traditions and good life are strictly linked together: the beauty of Marie Louise; the genius of Toscanini; the harmony of Correggio; the talent of Verdi. Every year, in October, the Verdi Festival celebrates the Maestro born in Roncole di Busseto, in the province of Parma, at the Regio Theatre of Parma and in Verdi's lands. Since 2003 Parma is the headquarter of the European Food Security Authority (EFSA); in December 2015 it was included in the UNESCO Creative Cities network as City for Gastronomy, and it’s also the Italian Capital of Culture 2020+2021.
The Active Citizenship and Equal Opportunities Sector of the Municipality of Parma is dedicated to the enhancement of issues related to social inclusion and the promotion of human rights and the enhancement of differences: gender, generation, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, culture and psycho-physical ability. It carries out a coordinating action among the many realities, associations, groups that deal with gender policies and issues affecting women. For this reason, periodically, a women's table is convened, composed of many organizations and associations that discuss, reflect, implement projects and joint initiatives. The Sector has also promoted the establishment of a table against homophobia and gender discrimination. The table's actions are aimed at raising awareness against discrimination based on sexual orientation, against homophobia and to spread a culture of respect for differences. There are many initiatives, events, meetings dedicated to the thought and enhancement of the issues. The Sector aims at coordinating the calendar of initiatives dedicated to important dates such as March 8th, International Women's Day, or November 25th, International Day against Violence against Women. Moreover, it has started an administrative process for the adoption and use of gender language in the acts of the Municipality of Parma. At the same time, it has started the process for the drafting of the Gender Budget of the Municipality of Parma to understand which budget chapters and, therefore, how many resources are allocated, directly or indirectly, to women.