Summary

The spokeswoman for UQAM welcomes all participants to the International Seminar on Women's Safety. She is confident that this meeting is an occasion to make the links and holds great potential for developing a sense of synergy among participants. She hopes that the Seminar will result in a clearer vision of current issues and lead to more coherent actions to enhance the security and feeling of safety of all urban inhabitants.

It is important to stress the necessity of integrating a gender approach into the development and management of urban prevention and safety policies, programs, and services. Such a gender approach will allow certain seminar objectives to be better met, particularly those concerning the involvement of both men and women in urban safety management, reducing women’s diverse problems and needs, and sharing best practices in order to improve the safety of the entire population.