Members occasionally request the Secretariat’s view as to whether a particular expenditure should be reported as official development assistance (ODA). This paper outlines the reasoning the Secretariat uses to answer such enquiries, and discusses some specific cases. It should not be taken as a definitive guide to ODA eligibility, since only the DAC may determine such eligibility. Further details are provided in the Statistical Reporting Directives (available at www.oecd/dac/stats/dac/ FACTSHEET - May 2007directives).