UNDP Honours 21 Public Institutions from 13 countries with Gender Equality Seal for transformative reforms

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today honoured 21 public institutions from 13 countries for transformative reforms advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment. Recognized through UNDP’s Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions. The institutions receiving the award are those who were certified with the Seal between the period of 2025 June to 2026 October.  

The 2026 awardees span foreign affairs, justice, agriculture, anti-corruption, tax and customs administration, transport and local government across Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. They show how public institutions across regions and sectors can expand women’s economic opportunities, improve access to justice, strengthen protection from violence, increase women’s participation in leadership and decision-making and address pervasive social norms. 

Gender equality is not an add-on to public administration, but a measure of institutional excellence. The achievements recognized through the Gender Equality Seal show what is possible when institutions put leadership, data and accountability at the heart of their work. These efforts are building more effective public institutions that deliver better outcomes for everyone

Alexander DeCroo, UNDP Administrator.

The Gender Equality Seal is fostering a growing global community of public institutions committed to lasting change. As of October 2026, more than 133 public institutions in 38 countries, representing over 22 sectors, are implementing the Seal, reaching more than 354,400 public servants, 48 per cent of whom are women.

We often talk about gender equality in terms of policies and commitments, but people experience equality through the institutions they deal with every day. What makes the Gender Equality Seal different is that it changes those institutions from within, so that commitments become concrete changes in people’s lives,” said Raquel Lagunas, UNDP Director of Gender Equality. 

We often talk about gender equality in terms of policies and commitments, but people experience equality through the institutions they deal with every day. What makes the Gender Equality Seal different is that it changes those institutions from within, so that commitments become concrete changes in people’s lives.

Raquel Lagunas, UNDP Director of Gender Equality

Among the 50 institutions awarded to date, all have institutionalized gender equality objectives and validated zero-tolerance policies and protocols on sexual harassment and gender-based violence in the workplace, while 84 per cent have validated systems for producing sex-disaggregated data and 65 per cent show significant gender equality results in at least two main institutional policies or programmes.

Through knowledge-sharing and collaboration, this expanding network is helping build a new generation of gender-responsive institutions equipped to scale innovation, tackle discrimination and deliver tangible benefits for people’s lives.

Meet the 2026 Gender Equality Seal Winners

GOLD SEAL 

• Chile – The Undersecretariat of Foreign Affairs transformed consular services for women experiencing gender-based violence abroad, ensuring support for every reported case through its Consulado Contigo programme. 
• Chile – The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights strengthened access to justice for 53,440 women through the National Registry of Alimony Debtors and achieved zero births in prison for one year through gender-responsive prison reforms. 
• Chile – The Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) strengthened rural women’s economic autonomy, helping women producers formalize businesses, increase income, and expand their participation in agricultural value chains. 
• The Dominican Republic– The Office of the Ombudsman promoted girls’ leadership and women’s economic empowerment, with girls holding 85% of student leadership positions and women gaining greater access to financing and economic rights information. 
• Thailand – The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) integrated gender equality into more than 200 municipal projects, improving urban safety, expanding inclusive health services, reducing the gender pay gap, and achieving gender parity in executive leadership. 
• Brazil – The Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), the highest-scoring institution ever recognized by the Seal, used gender-responsive audits to drive reforms that strengthen women’s safety, accountability, and equality across public institutions. 
• Mexico – The Executive Secretariat of the National Anti-Corruption System (SESNA) mainstreamed gender equality across anti-corruption frameworks, with 9 states adopting gender-responsive policies, gender-sensitive oversight rising from 39% to 55%, and 10 national indicators integrating gender analysis.

SILVER SEAL 

• Colombia – The Ministry of Labour improved gender equality at work through the Equipares programme, certifying companies and rural organizations, conducting 4,000 labour inspections, and resolving 85% of complaints submitted by women workers. 
• Costa Rica – The National Learning Institute (INA) expanded women’s participation in STEM and technical fields through 400 scholarships and strengthened the productive capacities of women farmers and entrepreneurs across the country. 
• Honduras – The Revenue Administration Service (SAR) reduced care-related barriers to women’s economic participation by creating child-friendly taxpayer service spaces used by more than 2,300 children and caregivers. 
• Bosnia and Herzegovina – The Ministry of Security expanded women’s participation in the police force, increased women’s representation in the security sector, and strengthened nationwide support services for survivors of trafficking. 
• Chile – The Senate Corporation, the first parliamentary institution to achieve the Seal, increased women’s participation in legislative consultations and promoted gender-balanced civic engagement among young people. 
• Colombia – The Pension and Parafiscal Management Unit (UGPP) supported the formal employment of more than 170,000 women and helped advance a landmark pension reform that expanded women’s access to retirement benefits. 
• Uzbekistan – The State Customs Committee reduced barriers for women-led businesses, increasing women’s participation in international trade through more streamlined and automated customs processes. 
• Dominican Republic – The Superintendency of Electricity (SIE) expanded women’s access to STEM and energy careers while achieving 48.2% women’s representation in decision-making positions. 

BRONZE SEAL 

• Colombia – The Superintendency of Transport (SuperTransporte) strengthened gender-responsive transport oversight, supporting national measures to prevent sexual violence in public transport and improve breastfeeding-friendly infrastructure nationwide. 
• Colombia – The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism (MINCIT) expanded opportunities for women entrepreneurs, reaching more than 5,000 women across 22 departments and helping 30 women-led businesses access export markets. 
• Colombia – The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) strengthened rural women’s economic empowerment, supporting 2,290 women-led initiatives and building the financial skills of more than 9,000 women and young people. 
• Panama – National Bank of Panama advanced women’s financial inclusion through the country’s first financial product for rural women producers and initiatives that strengthen women’s entrepreneurship, leadership, and access to finance. 
• El Salvador – The Ministry of Tourism (MITUR) promoted women’s economic empowerment in tourism, helping women-led businesses increase sales and profits while training more than 1,300 tourist agents to prevent gender-based violence and trafficking. 
• Rwanda – Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) expanded opportunities for women-owned businesses through gender-responsive tax and procurement initiatives and achieved 44.4% women’s representation in senior leadership.