The idea of creating a data platform to track gender gaps was born during a conversation between SERVIR-SEA, led by Ha Nguyen of Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), and Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) back in 2017, while we were exploring ways to build a community of practice on gender and geospatial technology. As ministry-equivalent agency, the VWU needs to access gender data to monitor progress towards achieving gender equality at local levels. Having data platform like the GEM would also enable them ‘to promote competition between provinces’ and ‘to advice on gender-responsive policies’, reflected Minh Huong, the Head of Information - Education - Communication Department of the VWU.

The GEM platform is developed by a team of gender and GIS specialists in SEI: Ha Nguyen as the lead in conceptualizing the platform and supervising its development; Dhyey Bhapuria as the key expert in data management and calculation of sub-national GII; Camille Pross and Jenny Han who supported in data collection; and Karthi Matheswaran who supported the platform development in various capacity, including creating a web-story for the GEM platform and initiating the design of its logo.

The platform would not be completed without substantial contribution and hard work of many interns namely Megan Danielson who pioneered the adaptation of GII calculation to sub-national level and set the first brick for the data repository; Radhika Bhandari and Quang Le who ventured into labyrinth of statistical materials and sources to collected and processed gender disaggregated data for the whole Mekong region.

For those who have known the GEM platform in its infancy stage, the platform has gone through a total revamp. It new design is created by Kunnaree Kritiyutanont, with brilliant advices and zealous support from Peeranan Towashiraporn and Chinaporn Meechaiya (Pin) from the SERVIR-SEA team.

Back to where it comes from, we are grateful for the encouragement and support that the Vietnam Women’s Union and Cambodia’s Ministry of Women Affairs have given to the team through various consultations during the making of the GEM platform.