The GEF Second Annual Performance Report (APR) 2005, presented and prepared by the GEF Evaluation Office, focuses on completed projects for which terminal evaluations were submitted during fiscal year 2005. The full report provides an assessment of project outcomes, project sustainability, project completion delays, and the quality of monitoring in completed projects. The report refers to terminal evaluations from 41 projects submitted in FY2005, accounting for $260 million in GEF funding. For the assessment of materialization of cofinancing, all 116 terminal evaluation reports submitted after January 2001 were considered. For the assessment of monitoring evaluation arrangements at point of CEO endorsement, 74 full-sized projects were considered.
Evaluation Report:
The report contains the following recommendations and issues for the future:
- GEF Secretariat should redraft project review guidelines and standards to ensure compliance with new M&E minimum requirements and enhance contribution of STAP reviews.
- GEF Secretariat should support focal area task forces to develop indicators and tracking tools to measure results of GEF operations in focal areas.
The following conclusions were reached by the evaluation:
- Most completed projects attained acceptable outcomes and sustainability performance.
- Projects realized almost all cofinancing promised at project inception except for global projects and those in Africa.
- Excessive project completion delays are associated with lower outcomes and sustainability outcomes.
- Quality of monitoring is generally improving but more work is needed.
- A number of projects did not meet minimum M&E requirements.
- M&E concerns are not being adequately addressed due to gaps in present project review process.
- Present project-at-risk systems at GEF partner agencies vary greatly.
- Overall quality of terminal evaluation reports is improving but major work still needed in some areas.