The Gender Equality Marker (GEM) was made a mandatory standard for UN entities in 2012 through the implementation of the UN-SWAP.

The GEM is a tool to track financial allocations and expenditures according to their contribution to gender equality and/or women’s rights (GEWE). It has the potential to document investments being made in GEWE by the entire UN system and by individual entities. It can help identify where the investments are happening and where there are gaps.

GEM in Brief

The GEM was first made a mandatory standard for UN entities in 2012 through the implementation of the UN-SWAP.

In 2018, the Secretary-General established the High-Level Task Force (HLTF) on Financing for Gender Equality to harmonize the application of the GEM in defining financial targets and increasing the resource base for gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE). Recommendations from the HLTF expanded the GEM across the UN system (at the entity level, UN Country Team level, and in the inter-agency pooled funds level). Check the brief of the GEM application in 2021.

In 2023, CEB-endorsed the Data standards for United Nations System-wide reporting of financial data with the gender marker as the 7th standard. This standard is being applied system-wide with a transitionary period of 3 years.

The GEM uses a four-point scale coding to signal contributions to GEWE as a principal objective, as a significant but not principal objective, in a limited way or with no expectation to contribute to gender equality and/or the empowerment of women. 

gem coding

 

Here you can find a presentation on the GEM and financial targets for ITC-ILO Course “Gender Responsive Budgeting within Organizations” in 2022.

Applying GEM in UN Entities

At the entity level, by 2022, 28 UN entities are implementing the GEM, compared with 24 entities in 2018 and 10 entities in 2012. 

Check the below chart for the GEM implementation at the UN entity level, per typology of entities in the period 2012-2018-2022, and the experience from entities in implementing the GEM: UNIDO, UNFPA, UN DPPA, UNICEF, UNDP, Peacebuilding Fund, ESCWA.

gem un

Applying GEM in UN Country Teams

At the UN Country Team (UNCT) level, by 2021, 79 (or 60%) UNCTs out of 132 have applied the GEM in their Joint Work Plan, up from 43 UNCTs in 2020. 

The inter-agency UNCT-Gender Equality Marker (UNCT-GEM) is a UNSDG tool to track UNCT support to gender equality in the context of the UN Cooperation Frameworks (CF), it was introduced in UNCTs with the rollout of the UN INFO digital reporting platform in 2018. A financial threshold of 70% of available resources towards gender equality activities (GEM 2 and GEM 3) was introduced in 2021 (QCPR indicator 1.4.18), in 2021, 37 UNCTs (28%) reported to reach this target. 

Regional distribution of UNCTs implementing the GEM, as of 2021.

countrylist

Applying GEM in Inter-Agency Pooled Funds

Inter-agency pooled financing is a recognised funding modality that is to be applied and implmented by multiple UN agencies in a joint manner. The well-designed and professionally managed pooled funds help strengthen efficient collaboration across entities in the UN development system. 

Inter-agency pooled funds can be classified as “Multi-partner Trust Funds” (MPTF) and “Standalone Joint Programmes”, and have undergone steady growth through the years. By 2020, the share of inter-agency pooled funds has grown to US$1.8 billion for humanitarian funds and US$ 1.2 billion for development-related funds.

In 2019, the Secretary-General's High-Level Task Force (HLTF) on Financing for Gender Equality endorsed the recommendation to expand the application of the GEM to inter-agency pooled funds.

While many pooled funds address gender equality concerns in their relevant documents, less than half include contributions to GEWE in their financial reports.

Since 2021 UN Women has supported the UNSDG Fiduciary Management and Oversight Group (FMOG) Working Group in launching the first survey on common management features to all MPTFs’ Administrative Agents . In the third quarter of 2022 a new survey was conducted for the second time.

The 2022 survey received responses from a total of 150 UN inter-agency pooled funds, equivalent to 79% of the estimated 190 active UN inter-agency pooled funds in 2021. Of the total of complete responses received, 48 (or 32%) were from MPTFs and  102 (or 68%) were from standalone Joint Programmes (JPs). 

The results of the survey show that 76% of the MPTFs and 71% of JPs are applying the GEM. In terms of financial investments (with or without established targets) 42% of MPTFs and 55% of JPs are allocating 15% or more of their resources to programmes with gender equality as their principal objective.

Percentage of inter-agency pooled funds, active in 2021, responding affirmatively to gender-related questions

For more information on the 2022 survey, please see the Brief: Implementation of Financial Tracking Tools and Financing Commitments for Gender Equality in Inter-Agency Pooled Funds 

The UN Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) is the organization’s financial instrument of first resort to sustain peace in countries or situations at risk or affected by violent conflict.

The PBF may invest with UN entities, governments, regional organizations, multilateral banks, national multi-donor trust funds or civil society organizations.

The PBF implemented the GEM in combination with a financial target of 15% of total Fund allocations to GEWE, as stipulated in the Secretary-General Seven-Point Action Plan on Gender-Responsive Peacebuilding. 

UN Women has seconded a staff to monitor and build capacity for gender-responsive peacebuilding in the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO). In 2019, 40% of all Fund investments supported gender-responsive peacebuilding, exceeding the target of 15% for the fifth year in a row, a first for any UN fund.

In 2020, the Peacebuilding Fund approved investments of US$ 173 million in 41 contexts and allocated 40% of its funding towards improving gender equality, the same share as the previous two years.

The Joint Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Fund is an innovative instrument to incentivize transformative policy shifts and stimulate the strategic investments to meet the SDGs.

To date the Joint SDG Fund has funded 200 joint programmes focused on integrated social protection or SDG finance. It has stimulated over 1,000+ partnerships working together alongside the UN and tested over 300 innovative solutions to accelerate the 2030 Agenda.

In 2019, the Joint SDG Fund developed a guidance note for the implementation of the GEM aligned with the UNCT-SWAP and based on the example of the Peacebuilding Fund. It uses 3-dimension areas to address key GEWE components: programming, monitoring and evaluation; partnerships and financial resources.

By 2021, 88% of joint programmes have GEMs that are at level GEM 2 or GEM 3, while 26% of resources have been allocated to programmes with GEWE as their principal objective (GEM 3).

The UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund is to help support low- and middle-income countries to overcome the health and development crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and support those most vulnerable to economic hardship and social disruption.

In 2020, the GEM was made mandatory in the Second call for proposals of the UN COVID-19 Response & Recovery Fund in combination with a financial target of 30% for GEWE.

The 2021 Annual Report of the Fund states that 73% of Second Call programmes scored GEM3 and none fell below a score of GEM2, where gender equality is a significant aim. As a result, financial allocations jumped from 5% of total funding (US$ 1.9 million) in the first call to 64% (US$ 11.9 million) in the second call.

Check the Early Lessons and Evaluability of the UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery MPTF, with the reflections on the GEM application.

The Special Trust Fund for Afghanistan (STFA) is an inter-agency mechanism and UN-Multi-Partner Trust Fund to support UN joint programming in the provision of basic human needs in Afghanistan.

The STFA provides support to multiple fronts including COVID-19, poverty, food insecurity, droughts and micro- and macroeconomic impacts. 

In 2021, building on the 2020 experience with the COVID-19 Fund, the GEM was embedded in the STFA in combination with specific financial targets addressing GEWE. These targets include a 30% of the cash transfers for people working in Markets (Cash for Market) to be allocated to women and a 15% of the overall STFA to address women’s needs and gender equality issues, particularly through unconditional cash transfers to support widows and survival needs.

At the end of April 2021, the STFA had allocated $64 Million to 11 UN agencies under the GEM2 criterion, aiming, among other objectives, to target 50,000 women-led SME by the end of 2022 which would generate employment for approximately 500,000 women. By December 2022, the STFA is expected to reach more than two million people (including one million women) across 34 provinces in Afghanistan through restoration of access to basic and essential services, sustainable livelihoods, and social cohesion.

GEM as a UN Financial Data Standard

The standardization will ensure consistent and timely report on investments in gender equality in the UN system. 

Under the principle “maximizing transparency, minimizing efforts” in meeting UN financial reporting obligations, the CEB FBN has discussed the GEM standard (as a four-point scale financial tracking tool) as part of the UN CEB minimum data set for reporting to IATI and OECD. This has taken place during the CEB Financial Statistics workshop: 2022- 2025 Data Cube strategy in April, 2022, and it is in the process of final endorsement.

Harmonization of Code Lists with OECD and IATI

The UN Transparency Task Force recommended additional variables in the UN CEB Minimum data set for reporting to OECD and IATI.

The International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) is a global initiative to improve the transparency of development and humanitarian resources and their results to ad- dress poverty and crises. IATI brings together governments, multilateral institutions, private sector and civil society organizations and others to increase the transparency of resources flowing into developing countries. Organizations that distribute or spend resources publish information about their development and humanitarian activities using IATI’s data standard. Entities reporting to IATI include FAO, IFAD, ILO, IOM, ITC, UNEP, UNAIDS, UNCDF, UNDCO, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIDO, OCHA, UNOPS, UNRWA, UN-WOMEN, UNITAID, WFP, WHO, UN-HABITAT.

The OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) is a unique international forum of many of the largest providers of aid, including 30 members. They maintain the International Development Statistics (IDS) online databases covering bilateral, multilateral aid (ODA) and private providers’ aid and other resource flows. In partic- ular two statistical frameworks on ODA – Common Reporting Standard (CRS) and Total Official Support for Sustainable Development (TOSSD) - are of relevance for the purpose of unified coding between the UN, IATI and OECD.

Resources

Explore the latest updates related to the implementation of the Gender Equality Marker in the UN system.

Briefs and brochures

2022

Implementation of the Gender Equality Marker in UN Entity, Country Teams and Inter-Agency Pooled Funds

This brief seeks to explain the status of the implementation of the Gender Equality Marker (GEM) in the UN system (at the entity level, UN Country Team level, and in the inter-agency pooled funds level).

Manuals and Guidance

2018

CEB Guidance note: Coding Definitions for Gender Equality Markers

This document complements and expands on the UNSDG’s Gender Equality Marker Guidance Note (2013). 

Together with the Guidance Note on Quality Assurance of Gender Equality Markers (2018), this supplementary guide aims to support UN entities in applying their Gender Equality Markers (GEMs) in an optimal manner. This note elaborates on two Standards that have been the focus of discussion in the last three years: the ‘unit of analysis’ and ‘coding definitions,’ as well as discussing how the coding experience can assist in contributing to gender sensitive programme design. 

Manuals and Guidance

2018

CEB Guidance note: Quality Assurance of Gender Equality Markers

This document complements and expands on the UNSDG’s Gender Equality Marker Guidance Note (2013). 

Together with the Guidance Note on Coding Definitions for Gender Equality Markers (2018), this supplementary guide aims to support UN entities in applying their Gender Equality Markers (GEMs) in an optimal manner. It seeks to encourage inter-agency knowledge sharing and is being developed by the UN-SWAP Gender Marker Working Group of the Finance and Budget Network (FBN), which is chaired by UN Women.

Manuals and Guidance

2019

UNCT Gender Equality Marker Guidance Note

This guidance support UNCTs in the application of the GEM within UN INFO and the UNSDCF. The UNCT GEM tracks the resources allocated collectively by the UN system under the UNSDCF cycle, making clear the level of commitment and the degree of resources allocated by the UNCT in support of national GEWE priorities

Manuals and Guidance

2020

Guidance Note: UN Covid-19 Response & Recovery Fund Gender Equality Marker

This Guidance Note provides an overview of the gender equality marker and its application for the COVID-19 MPTF. It offers a checklist of minimum criteria, as well as tips and good practice examples to support gender mainstreaming throughout proposals and ensure applicant UN organizations
accurately apply gender equality marker codes in their submission.

Manuals and Guidance

2013

2013 UNSDG Guidance Note: Gender Equality Marker

This guidance note sets out common principles to ensure that UN gender marker systems are comparable and sets standards for gender equality marker systems that track and report on allocations and expenditures for gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment. It will guide the development of an effective and coherent approach for tracking resources that support gender equality results with agreed upon parameters and standards inside the UN system. This will allow for UN system-wide reporting2 with regard to funds contributing to promoting gender equality. This guidance note is intended to provide direction for individual entities instituting or improving their gender equality marker systems.