9.1 Introduction
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a partnership for international cooperation to address global environmental issues related to biodiversity, climate change,
international waters, land degradation, and chemicals and waste.
1 Since its inception in 1991 GEF has provided more than US 14.5 billion dollars for addressing
these concerns, of which at least $ 4 billion has been provided to support activities
that directly address climate change mitigation.
2 Within the GEF partnership, The
GEF Independent Evaluation Office (GEF IEO) has the central role of ensuring the
independent evaluation function.
3
The OECD DAC ‘Glossary of Key Terms in Evaluation and Results Based
Management’ (OECD 2002) defines impact as “Positive and negative, primary
and secondary long-term effects produced by a development intervention, directly
or indirectly, intended or unintended.” The OECD DAC’s Principles for Evaluation
of Development Assistance’ (OECD 1991) defines evaluation as “an assessment, as
systematic and objective as possible, of an on-going or completed project,
programme or policy, its design, implementation and results.” Thus, impact evaluations may be understood as systematic and objective assessment of the long-term
effects of a development intervention. The impact evaluations undertaken by GEF
IEO seek to gauge the long term effects of GEF support, how these were achieved
and how GEF’s effectiveness in achieving them may be improved. These evaluations have a strong focus on learning.
The GEF IEO undertook “Climate Change Mitigation Impact Evaluation
4 to
assess impact and learn lessons from GEF supported climate change mitigation
projects. This paper discusses the methodological approach adopted for the evaluation, the challenges faced and choices made in developing and implementing the
evaluation, which was carried out by the GEF Independent Evaluation Office in
four emerging economies: China India, Mexico and Russia.
5 The evaluation was
implemented from 2012 to 2013.
1 Instrument for the Establishment of the Restructured Global Environment Facility, March 2015.
GEF docs.
2 Accessed on November 30th 2015. https://www.thegef.org/gef/whatisgef
3 The GEF Monitoring and Evaluation Policy, 2010. GEF Docs. https://www.thegef.org/gef/sites/
thegef.org/files/documents/ME_Policy_2010.pdf
4 https://www.thegef.org/gef/sites/thegef.org/files/documents/Impact%20-%20Climate%20Change%
20Mitigation%20IE.pdf Under Publication.
5 Within the GEF partnership, The GEF Independent Evaluation Office (GEF IEO) has the central
role of ensuring the independent evaluation function. The impact evaluations undertaken by the
GEF IEO seek to determine the long term effects of GEF support, how these were achieved and
how GEF’s effectiveness in achieving them may be improved. These evaluations have a strong
focus on learning.
154
A. Zazueta and N.K. Negi
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a partnership for international cooperation to address global environmental issues related to biodiversity, climate change,
international waters, land degradation, and chemicals and waste.
1 Since its inception in 1991 GEF has provided more than US 14.5 billion dollars for addressing
these concerns, of which at least $ 4 billion has been provided to support activities
that directly address climate change mitigation.
2 Within the GEF partnership, The
GEF Independent Evaluation Office (GEF IEO) has the central role of ensuring the
independent evaluation function.
3
The OECD DAC ‘Glossary of Key Terms in Evaluation and Results Based
Management’ (OECD 2002) defines impact as “Positive and negative, primary
and secondary long-term effects produced by a development intervention, directly
or indirectly, intended or unintended.” The OECD DAC’s Principles for Evaluation
of Development Assistance’ (OECD 1991) defines evaluation as “an assessment, as
systematic and objective as possible, of an on-going or completed project,
programme or policy, its design, implementation and results.” Thus, impact evaluations may be understood as systematic and objective assessment of the long-term
effects of a development intervention. The impact evaluations undertaken by GEF
IEO seek to gauge the long term effects of GEF support, how these were achieved
and how GEF’s effectiveness in achieving them may be improved. These evaluations have a strong focus on learning.
The GEF IEO undertook “Climate Change Mitigation Impact Evaluation
4 to
assess impact and learn lessons from GEF supported climate change mitigation
projects. This paper discusses the methodological approach adopted for the evaluation, the challenges faced and choices made in developing and implementing the
evaluation, which was carried out by the GEF Independent Evaluation Office in
four emerging economies: China India, Mexico and Russia.
5 The evaluation was
implemented from 2012 to 2013.
1 Instrument for the Establishment of the Restructured Global Environment Facility, March 2015.
GEF docs.
2 Accessed on November 30th 2015. https://www.thegef.org/gef/whatisgef
3 The GEF Monitoring and Evaluation Policy, 2010. GEF Docs. https://www.thegef.org/gef/sites/
thegef.org/files/documents/ME_Policy_2010.pdf
4 https://www.thegef.org/gef/sites/thegef.org/files/documents/Impact%20-%20Climate%20Change%
20Mitigation%20IE.pdf Under Publication.
5 Within the GEF partnership, The GEF Independent Evaluation Office (GEF IEO) has the central
role of ensuring the independent evaluation function. The impact evaluations undertaken by the
GEF IEO seek to determine the long term effects of GEF support, how these were achieved and
how GEF’s effectiveness in achieving them may be improved. These evaluations have a strong
focus on learning.
154
A. Zazueta and N.K. Negi