The GEF Fourth Annual Performance Report (APR) 2007, presented and prepared by the GEF Evaluation Office, focuses on completed projects for which terminal evaluations were submitted during fiscal year 2007. The full report provides an assessment of project outcomes, project sustainability, project completion delays, materialization of cofinancing, and the quality of monitoring in completed projects. The report's main focus is on terminal evaluations from 41 projects submitted in FY2007, accounting for $199 million in GEF funding.
The report contains the following recommendations and issues for the future:
- The GEF Secretariat, in coordination with the GEF Agencies, should conduct in-depth survey to assess GEF Agency efforts to reduce GHG emissions.
- The GEF Evaluation Office to investigate why fewer than expected terminal evaluations were submitted in FY2007.
- GEF Evaluation Office will work with the GEF Secretariat to develop better systems to track project completion.
- GEF Evaluation Office to fine-tune guidelines on sharing confidential information on GEF activities with the evaluators while maintaining Agency confidentiality.
- GEF departments and Agencies to work on facilitating better financial reporting for completed projects.
The following conclusions were reached by the evaluation:
- The percentage of completed projects with outcomes ratings in the satisfactory range was close to the 75 per cent target.
- The materialization of cofinancing reported by the Agencies was about three-fourths of that promised at project approval.
- Capacity development activities in completed GEF projects have been generally positive but some gains have not been sustained.
- There is a strong association between quality of M&E arrangements at entry point and during implementation.
- Significant improvements made in overall quality of terminal evaluations but more work needed regarding reporting on M&E and financial information.
- GEF Agencies are on track addressing the GHG of internal operations. However, most are only in the early stages of adopting a GHG management strategy.
- Adoption levels of council decisions is rated medium or higher with substantial improvement since the previous year.