Dubai Municipality becomes first global entity to achieve gender equality ISO certification

Dubai: Dubai Municipality has been awarded international certification for compliance with the global standard on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (ISO 53800) by Global TUV (gTUV), a leading organisation in auditing, inspection, and certification. With this achievement, Dubai Municipality has become the first entity in the world to secure this recognition.

The milestone coincides with Emirati Women’s Day, marked annually on August 28, and reflects the UAE’s long-standing commitment to empowering women as a central part of the nation’s growth story. It also aligns with the country’s designation of 2024 as the ‘Year of Community’, reinforcing values of inclusivity, fairness, and equal opportunity.

Eng. Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, Director General of Dubai Municipality, described the certification as a reflection of Dubai’s leadership in embedding gender equality across all levels of governance and society.

“We are proud of this achievement, which highlights Dubai and the UAE’s leadership in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment, in line with the directives of our leadership. It reflects our commitment to embedding equality and empowerment as both social and institutional values based on fairness and merit,” he said.

Bin Ghalita stressed that Dubai Municipality is committed to supporting women in achieving greater accomplishments in line with the UAE National Strategy for Empowerment of Emirati Women 2023–2031, while fostering a fair and inclusive workplace that sets global benchmarks.

Nasser BuShehab, CEO of the Planning and Governance Sector at Dubai Municipality, emphasised the certification as a crucial step in strengthening a positive work environment.

“Dubai Municipality is the first entity globally to receive certification for compliance with ISO 53800. This milestone strengthens our journey in building an inclusive work environment that promotes equality, empowers women, and provides career development opportunities for all employees without discrimination, while ensuring work-life balance,” he said.

Adding to this, Azza Al Marzooqi, Director of the Human Resources Department, noted that the recognition reinforces the municipality’s employee happiness strategy, boosting job satisfaction, productivity, and retention while directly improving service quality for Dubai residents.

The UAE has made remarkable strides in gender balance and women’s empowerment, becoming a regional and global leader in this field. The country ranked 7th worldwide and 1st in the Arab region in the United Nations Development Programme’s Gender Inequality Index (GII) 2024. This marks a sharp rise from 49th place in 2015 and 11th place in both 2021 and 2022.

This recognition, which highlights the maturity of Dubai Municipality’s human resources policies and governance frameworks, strengthens its ability to attract and retain top talent, while fostering innovation and driving excellence in public service delivery.