Housed at the GEF, the SCCF was established in 2001 to support climate change projects in all developing country parties to the UNFCCC through four funding windows: adaptation, technology transfer, sector-specific projects, and assistance with diversification of fuel-dependent economies. Carried out from May to September 2011, the SCCF evaluation covered 26 projects and aimed to collect evaluative evidence on the progress toward SCCF objectives as well as main achievements and lessons learned during a decade of SCCF implementation. The evaluation assessed the relevance of the SCCF programming and project portfolio to the guidance of the UNFCCC, the GEF, and recipient countries' sustainable development agendas. It also reviewed the effectiveness and efficiency of the SCCF programming and portfolio in achieving objectives and expected outcomes.
The following conclusions were reached by the evaluation:
Relevance
- The four SCCF programming strategies are relevant to COP guidance
- The adaptation and technology transfer projects are relevant to COP guidance and SCCF programming
- SCCF funding is not commensurate with the global mandate of the COP guidance
- Though programming was formulated to implement activities under windows C and D, COP guidance for these windows has not been implemented due to a lack of funding
- The adaptation projects are highly relevant to national sustainable development agendas of beneficiary countries, contributing to socioeconomic development goals
Effectiveness
- SCCF projects employ innovative approaches to overcome the lack of data on many emerging adaptation issues
- Projects are well geared toward replication and up-scaling, yet follow-up is uncertain because of a lack of funding
Efficiency
- The SCCF has been managed cost-effectively, its management costs being the lowest of all comparable funds
- Though the SCCF project cycle has been implemented in accordance with GEF standards and rules, the unpredictability of funding availability has resulted in an informal, nontransparent, project preselection process
- Opportunities for learning may be lost because no knowledge exchange and learning mechanism exists
- SCCF projects are systematically perceived as GEF Trust Fund projects
The report made the following recommendations to the SCCF/LDCF Council:
- The LDCF/SCCF Council should appeal to donors to fund the SCCF adequately and predictably, preferable through a replenishment process
- The LDCF/SCCF Council should ask the GEF Secretariat to prepare proposals to ensure (1) transparency of the project preselection process, (2) dissemination of good practices through existing channels, and (3) SCCF visibility by requiring projects to identify their finding source.
GEF Council Decision:
The LDCF/SCCF Council, having reviewed the document GEF/LDCF.SCCF.11/ME/02, Evaluation of the Special Climate Change Fund, and document GEF/LDCF.SCCF.11/ME/03, Management response to the Evaluation of the SCCF, notes the conclusion of the impact of funding levels and the need for continued support. The LDCF/SCCF Council requests the Secretariat to prepare proposals to ensure:
a) Transparency of the project pre-selection process; b) Dissemination of good practices through existing channels; c) Visibility of the fund by requiring projects to identify their funding source.