Country Portfolio Evaluations

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Country Portfolio Evaluations (CPEs) analyze the totality of GEF support across GEF Agencies, projects and programs in a given country, with the aim of reviewing the performance and results of GEF-supported activities and assessing how those activities align with country strategies and priorities as well as with GEF's priorities for global environmental benefits. CPEs enable knowledge sharing about country-level results to the benefit of the GEF Council, the participating country, and the agencies and organizations that plan and implement GEF-funded activities.

CPEs are conducted on a rolling basis according to multi-annual planning covering the entire GEF-5 period. Countries are selected through a process designed to ensure clarity and transparency, regional coverage, diversity of the portfolio, financial weight, maturity of the portfolio, Least Developed Countries and/or Small Island Developing States (LDC/SIDS) status, evaluation coverage, evaluability and synergy with other evaluation work by the GEF Evaluation Office or by the evaluation offices of GEF agencies.

Findings from CPEs are synthesized in an Annual Country Portfolio Evaluation Report (ACPER). The ACPER is presented to GEF Council at its spring sessions.

Country portfolios are also analyzed through Country Portfolio Studies (CPSs), an evaluation modality introduced with GEF-5. With a reduced focus and scope as compared with CPEs, CPSs provide additional evaluative coverage of country portfolios in each GEF region with a relatively low investment. CPSs are conducted in countries where a country evaluation of a GEF Agency will take/is taking place, thus reducing the evaluation burden to these countries while at the same time gaining insights and understanding through information exchange and collaboration.

CPEs ans CPSs measure the relevance, efficiency and results of a given GEF country portfolio. If applicable, CPEs also comment on the potential for sustainability of gains achieved.

Definitions

Relevance: the extent to which the activity is suited to local and national environmental priorities and policies and to global environmental benefits to which the GEF is dedicated; this analysis includes an assessment of changes in relevance over time.
Effectiveness: the extent to which an objective has been achieved or how likely it is to be achieved.
Efficiency: the extent to which results have been delivered with the least costly resources possible.
Results: in GEF terms, results include direct project outputs, short- to medium-term outcomes, and progress toward longer term impact including global environmental benefits, replication effects, and other local effects.
Sustainability: the likely ability of an intervention to continue to deliver benefits for an extended period of time after completion; projects need to be environmentally as well as financially and socially sustainable.

Process and Methods

CPEs are conducted following a methodology which starts from standard Terms of Reference and is later tailored to the context and portfolio of the country. CPEs usually take 6 to 8 months to complete. CPSs are conducted in a similar manner starting from their own standard Terms of Reference. An inclusive process entailing consultation, evaluative analysis and reporting is carried out by a team assembled by the responsible task manager in the Evaluation Office. In most cases, the evaluation team is composed of local consultants, the task manager and Evaluation Office research assistants. Focal Points in the country are asked to facilitate the process.

	GEF Evaluation Office Director sends a letter to the GEF focal point in the country to inform the government that the country has been selected, and to propose to conduct the Country Portfolio Evaluation.
	GEF Evaluation Office undertakes a first mission to identify key issues for the evaluation, promote stakeholder participation, and officially launch the evaluation. GEF focal point is asked to facilitate the process by identifying interviewees and source documents, organizing interviews, field visits and meetings.
	GEF Evaluation Office finalizes country-specific terms of reference based on feedback obtained from stakeholders. Terms of reference are peer reviewed.
	An Evaluation team composed by Evaluation Office staff and local consultants conducts research for existing reliable evaluative evidence, and produces the GEF portfolio database, the country environmental framework, a global environmental benefits assessment, and project protocols.
	Evaluation team performs the evaluation; GEF focal point provides logistical support with assistance from GEF agencies present in the country as needed; coordinates meetings, arranges for visits to project sites by the evaluation team; and liaises with Agencies.
	Evaluation team produces an Aide Mémoire with key preliminary findings for discussion at a final consultation workshop; with support from Agencies if and when needed, GEF focal point organizes, coordinates, and participates in the workshop.
	Evaluation team uses the feedback obtained at the workshop to draft the evaluation report for circulation to stakeholders. Draft report is peer reviewed before circulation.
	Evaluation team produces final report, incorporating the feedback received on the draft report; final report is peer reviewed before finalization; GEF Focal Point consults with government and assists in preparing a management response which will be included in the report.

Standardized methodological tools used in CPEs and CPSs include:

Final CPE reports are public documents. They are presented to the GEF Council with recommendations for further action and follow-up, and are posted on this Web site.

CPEs summaries are also presented in the Signposts

For more information about CPEs you can email GEFevaluation@thegef.org. You can also consult the ASKME database of the Evaluation Office, which allows you to search for Evaluation Office documents according to country, region, Focal Area, keywords, and document type.