UNIDO’s project and programme approval function requires all projects and programmes to assess their envisaged contribution to gender equality and the empowerment of women as a precondition to approval for implementation. This is done based on the criteria of the UNIDO Gender Marker as indicated in the UNIDO Gender Compliance and Marker Form. Within its four-level scale of assessment (see table below), UNIDO Gender Markers 2A and 2B are the desired good practice as per the 2020-2023 Gender Strategy.

Quadrennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system provides in 2020. It emphasizes that realizing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls will make a crucial contribution to progress across all the Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda.