This handbook is the first guidance produced by the OECD-DAC Network on Gender Equality (GENDERNET) on the DAC gender equality policy marker. It is designed to promote a better understanding of the gender marker and to support DAC member agencies in applying this tool by providing recommendations for its effective application. This is particularly timely as the international community begins the implementation of the SDGs, for which the marker is a key monitoring and accountability tool. To the extent possible, agencies are encouraged to align their reporting practices to these recommendations. The handbook includes new recommended minimum criteria for the three categories of the gender marker1 introduced in December 2016. They are designed to ensure a common understanding among DAC member agencies of what is the minimum baseline for projects to qualify for a 0,1 or 2 score; facilitate the scoring process by providing a ‘checklist’ of minimum criteria for each category; and through these measures strengthen the comparability and accuracy of the data reported by DAC members.