On 28 April 2021, OECD is hosting a webinar on "Building a Gender-Equal Recovery". Women have been at the forefront of the pandemic, as healthcare workers, teachers, caregivers, and working parents juggling new responsibilities. Ensuring gender balance in public-decision making has been increasingly highlighted by OECD countries as a key governance issue related to fairness, transparency and inclusive policy outcomes. The composition of public institutions must reflect society if it is to be perceived as legitimate, capable of delivering just policies and upholding equality before the law. Only gender balanced and diverse policy makers can have the know-how to tackle the different needs of citizens. How can we ensure that the COVID-19 crisis provides the wake-up call needed to accelerate and secure lasting change?