UNDP Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions: TCU takes the first steps towards certification

On March 12, 2024, the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) began the adopting process of the Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The seal aims to provide public institutions with a methodology to implement institutional reforms focused on gender equality.

The initiative aligns with the 2030 Agenda, a global action plan agreed upon by the 189 member countries of the United Nations (UN), which highlights achieving gender equality as one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The process of adopting the seal involves five stages: Engage, Set the Baseline, Action Plan, External Assessment, and finally, Get the Seal. During the engagement phase, for instance, the TCU established a management committee for the implementation of the UNDP Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions.

Currently, the TCU is dedicated to the baseline definition stage, which aims to understand the current status of the Court concerning the seal's standards and to collect information for developing an Action Plan to strengthen and expand gender equality promotion efforts.

For this stage, the seal's methodology establishes the need to conduct two internal surveys: one to evaluate the work environment, focusing specifically on gender equality issues, and another for a self-assessment conducted by employees regarding their capabilities related to gender equality. The TCU, in partnership with UNDP, will launch these two surveys on August 12.