The SDC Gender Policy Marker (GPM) is a tool to monitor and track the integration of and the resources allocated to gender equality and defines the minimum criteria to score the Gender Policy Marker.

The GPM checklist is based on the OECD DAC Guidance and the “Handbook on the OECD DAC Gender Equality Policy Marker”. The checklist outlines the criteria for principal and significant projects or core contributions to multilateral and institutional partners. The checklist is an annex to all entry and credit proposals.

Sector Code Gender: For principal projects, it is important to also mark the sector codes on gender equality, if applicable. There are two Gender Sector Codes: 

1) Support to Women’s equality organizations (20066), such as women’s NGO’s or national gender machineries.

2) Ending violence against women and girls (20067): all activities addressing SGBV, including violence against men & boys and working with men on violence prevention.

Principal projects: Gender equality is the main objective of the project and the project would not have been undertaken without this gender equality objective. The project is designed with the principal intention of advancing gender equality and/or the empowerment of women and girls, reducing gender discrimination or inequalities, or meeting gender-specific needs (including of men and boys). 

Significant projects: Gender equality is an important and deliberate objective, but not the principal reason for undertaking the project. The gender equality objective must be explicit in the project documentation and cannot be implicit or assumed. The project, in addition to other objectives, is designed to have a positive impact on advancing gender equality and/or the empowerment of women and girls, reducing gender discrimination or inequalities, or meeting gender-specific needs (including of men and boys).

Core contribution: Although the DAC does not use the Gender Policy Marker for multilateral contributions, SDC also applies the marker to core contributions to multilateral organisations and institutional partners to guarantee quality assurance and the tracking of all resources. As the criteria for the Gender Policy Marker is based on the PCM intervention logic, the application for core contributions is often not straight forward.

If your project does not meet the criteria and therefore the gender policy marker scores 'not targeted', please use the checklist for 'significant' and explain in the comments, why the policy markes does not apply.