Chingyu Yao, Director-General of the Secretariat of New Taipei City Government, leverages her experience as a seasoned diplomat stationed in the US to bring an innovative approach to local government. Grew up in Taitung, a rural town in Taiwan, Yao remains a driver of change, utilizing her unique blend of global and local experience in international affairs. In 2019, she pioneered New Taipei City’s Voluntary Local Review on SDGs, inspiring other cities to view municipal policies through a sustainability lens. In 2020, she was also the only Taiwanese official invited by UN Habitat to speak on SDG VLR at the World Urban Forum (WUF10) in Abu Dhabi. To date, Yao is highly recognized for her dedication, which extends beyond SDGs, as she has been instrumental in implementing gender equality policies by promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace and society.