The Gender Seal for UNDP is a corporate initiative focused on ensuring the quality of the organizational and programmatic management of UNDP Offices by incorporating the gender approach, in coherence with international norms on the Human Rights of Women and girls, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the quality standards of the United Nations System focused on performance, which is measured based on the fulfillment of indicators in 7 areas:

1. Management systems for gender mainstreaming

2. Capabilities

3. Conductive environment

4. Knowledge management

5. Programs and projects

6. Partnerships

7. Results and impacts

This tool promotes an organizational culture of equality and encourages Country Offices to meet standards by integrating gender into all aspects of development work. It is UNDP's initiative to build capacity and support transformative gender equality results through the creation of positive synergies for gender mainstreaming in both organizational transformation and the development results set out in UNDP's Gender Equality Strategy. 

Through a process of continuous improvement that encompasses different dimensions of the work of UNDP offices, the offices carry out an online diagnosis, formulate and implement an action plan based on the results, and are reviewed again through the evidence they provide on the online platform. Depending on the performance achieved, the offices are certified with Bronze, Silver or Gold. This certification lasts three years for Bronze and Silver, and four years for Gold. 

Bronze level: compliance with mandatory actions for mainstreaming, strong partnerships with other key stakeholders, and the program portfolio meets minimum gender-responsive criteria.

Silver level: compliance with Bronze level actions, plus strong synergies between mainstreaming actions in different areas of the organization, gender elements consistently integrated into the project planning cycle, advocacy on gender issues, and public visibility and legitimacy as an actor committed to gender equality.

Gold level: fulfillment of bronze and silver level actions. In addition, capacities for the design and management of transformative gender programs and projects, credible and rigorous evidence to support the gender impacts of interventions, significant contributions to national gender equality objectives, proactive engagement with global agendas; role and contributions recognized and respected by government counterparts and the development community.

Highlights:

UNDP Gender Strategy

Gender Portfolio