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IX. News from GEF Evaluation Office New GEF Monitoring and Evaluation Policy The GEF Council has approved the GEF monitoring and evaluation policy, requesting the Evaluation Office (EO) to proceed with its implementation. One of the key features of the policy is the minimum requirements for monitoring and evaluation of GEF projects, which are to be included both in project design and implementation. The full text can be found on the GEF Evaluation Office website. Go to thegef.org and then to the Evaluation home page. The Council also unanimously approved the change of name of the Office of Monitoring and Evaluation to the GEF Evaluation Office. The new name more accurately reflects the office’s independence and core business. The Evaluation Office reports directly to the Council. Joint Evaluation of GEF Activity Cycle and Modalities The joint evaluation on the GEF project cycle is progressing well. In January 2006, the GEF Evaluation Office and the Implementing and Executing Agencies’ evaluation offices held a workshop to identify issues and plan next steps. They agreed on field visits in select countries for in-depth focus group and stakeholder interviews. The main purpose of the visits is to add in-depth examples and information on GEF project cycle and modality experience in different countries. The support and feedback of GEF focal points will be greatly appreciated. During March–April 2006, the Evaluation Office will also conduct a survey among a broad range of stakeholders, including GEF focal points, field project staff, NGOs, and the Implementing and Executing Agencies’ staff. The survey will provide important input on actual experience with GEF project development and implementation, challenges, and possible solutions. The survey will be sent out electronically, but will also be able available through the GEF website under the GEF Evaluation Office. The Evaluation Office welcomes any direct feedback on experiences with the GEF project cycle weaknesses and strengths. For information or suggestions, please contact Siv Tokle at stokle@thegef.org. GEF Country Portfolio Evaluation for Costa Rica The GEF Council has requested the GEF Evaluation Office to begin conducting evaluations of GEF's portfolio at the country level. Since this is a new modality, the office proposed in its FY06 work program to conduct a GEF Country Portfolio Evaluation (CPE) and selected Costa Rica as the first country. The GEF EO decided that Costa Rica will be selected for the first GEF CPE during the pilot phase. The selection was based on several criteria, but particularly the country's richness of portfolio and its longstanding experience with the environment sector. The main objective of the CPE is to evaluate the relevance and efficiency of the GEF support within the GEF mandate and the country’s sustainable development agenda. The evaluation will include desk reviews of all GEF projects in Costa Rica, with selected field visits, and extensive interviews with GEF stakeholders and beneficiaries. The report will be presented to the GEF Council at its June 2006 meeting. Claudio Volonte from the GEF Evaluation Office is managing the evaluation and Alejandro Imbach is the lead consultant based in Costa Rica. For more information on the Country Portfolio Evaluation, please visit the website www.thegef.org in the Ongoing Evaluations section, or contact Claudio Volonte at cvolonte@thegef.org. |
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