This dataset contains commitment data (since 2002) and disbursement data (since 2009) on aid in support of gender equality from the CRS database.

In their reporting to the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Creditor Reporting System (CRS), donors are requested to indicate for each activity whether or not it targets gender equality as one of its policy objectives. To qualify as “gender equality focussed,” an activity must explicitly promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

An activity can either target gender equality as its “principal objective” or as a “significant objective”. A “principal” score (2) is assigned if gender equality was an explicit objective of the activity and fundamental to its design - i.e. the activity would not have been undertaken without this objective. A “significant” score (1) is assigned if gender equality was an important, but secondary, objective of the activity - i.e. it was not the principal reason for undertaking the activity. A “not targeted” score (0) is assigned if, after being screened against the gender equality policy marker, an activity is not found to target gender equality. Activities assigned a “principal objective” score should not be considered better than activities assigned a “significant objective” score, as donors that mainstream gender equality - and thus integrate it into their projects across a range of sectors - are more likely to allocate the marker score “significant” to their aid activities.

The gender equality marker allows an approximate quantification of aid flows that target gender equality as a policy objective. In marker data presentations the figures for principal and significant objectives should be shown separately and the sum referred to as the “estimate” or “upper bound” of gender equality-focussed aid.

An activity can have more than one principal or significant objective. Therefore, total amounts targeting the different objectives should not be added-up to avoid double-counting.

Policy markers seek information on the donor’s policy objectives which can be best assessed at the design stage of projects. This is why policy markers are applied to commitments. Policy marker data on a disbursement basis can also be compiled, but it is important to note that this does not mean the policy objectives of projects under implementation would have been re-assessed. Rather, the disbursements are linked to the qualitative information on the original commitment through project identifiers. Consequently, a project marked as gender equality focussed at the commitment stage will be flagged as gender equality focussed throughout its lifetime, unless the qualitative information was changed.

Activity-level gender equality marker data that underlie the aggregate figures presented in this dataset are available for consultation and download: see “Export”, “Related files”.

Consult more definitions, factsheets and the User guide for this dataset at:

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