Timor-Leste Launches Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions

The Gender Equality Seal is a transformative institutional reform tool that supports public institutions to integrate gender equality in all dimensions of their work. It focuses on: strengthening leadership and political commitment to gender equality, embedding gender-responsive planning, budgeting, and policymaking, promoting fair, inclusive, and discrimination‑free work environments, ensuring accountability and improving service delivery by integrating gender perspectives into public policies.

The initiative will strengthen gender mainstreaming in key beneficiary institutions the Court of Appeal, the Ministry of Finance, and the Public Service Commission ensuring that gender equality becomes a core principle guiding all institutional operations, management practices, and decision‑making processes 

The Secretary of State for Equality noted: "Gender equality is not an abstract ideal, but a practical and measurable benchmark that must guide our policies, our budgets, and our daily work".

She stressed that the Seal represents more than compliance with international commitments. It is a transformational initiative to ensure fairness, inclusivity, and accountability across public institutions.

UNDP Resident Representative Katyna Argueta highlighted: "The Gender Equality Seal goes beyond words, turning commitment into measurable action and embedding equality into everyday institutional practice." 

Reaffirming its support for inclusive governance, Mr. Iotam Lerer, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Timor-Leste, stated: "The Gender Equality Seal is more than a certification; it is a transformative tool to build stronger, more inclusive public institutions in Timor-Leste”. He highlighted that gender equality is not only a moral imperative but also a social and economic necessity noting that inclusive public institutions contribute to stronger governance and national development.