UNDP Administrator, Alexander De Croo, added: “At a time when pressure and backlash against gender equality is growing, Bangkok’s Gold certification is a light in the dark. It is also a signal of our commitment as UNDP to keep making the case for equality – and, with tools like the Gender Seal – to continue to support the champions that want to lead the way.”
Through the Gender Seal journey, BMA has integrated gender considerations into over 200 municipal projects aligned with SDG 5, supported by open sex-disaggregated data to enable more responsive measures. These efforts have led to initiatives such as a free sanitary pad programmes and the BKK Light initiative, which installed over 30,000 LED streetlights based on real-time citizen data to improve urban safety. This is also reflected in the reduced gender wage gap, from 3.1% to 0.9%.
This commitment also includes a strong focus on LGBTQI+ communities. Across the city, 31 BKK Pride Clinics have been established, providing safe and inclusive public health services, particularly for LGBTQI+ individuals, and serving over 8,400 people.
The BMA is also leading gender equality by example. It provides 120-day maternity leave along with access to childcare centres, supporting a better balance between family life and professional growth, and is the first local public institution to allow staff to dress according to their gender identity. The BMA is also challenging glass ceilings and gender norms that limit women’s leadership, achieving near gender parity in leadership, with women making up 43% of the BMA workforce overall and 50% at the executive level.