Evaluation of GEF Support in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations
Publisher: Global Environment Facility Independent Evaluation Office
Date: 2020
Topics: Climate Change, Governance, Programming, Renewable Resources
Conflict and fragility affect environmental programming—and programming of the Global Environment Facility (GEF)—in diverse ways. The environment can interact with conflict across the conflict lifecycle, because natural resources can act as a source of grievances, provide revenues to rebel groups during conflict, and can act as a mutual starting point during peace negotiations. Environmental interventions also interact with conflict and fragility in multiple ways. Challenges associated with security threats to project staff, hiring staff, and accessing project sites can undermine the effectiveness and efficiency of an intervention, and environmental interventions themselves can aggravate tensions or conflict. Recognizing both the potential effects of conflict and fragility on environmental projects and the effects of environmental projects on conflict and fragility, a growing number of institutions—including GEF Agencies—have adopted conflict-sensitive measures to manage risks associated with conflict and fragility.
The GEF has funded thousands of interventions in areas experiencing armed conflict or fragility; more than one-third of its global portfolio is invested in countries affected by major armed conflict. The prevalence of conflict and fragility in GEF-target countries suggests that conflict and fragility should be considered essential contextual factors affecting the GEF’s ability to achieve large-scale, sustainable impacts and initiate fundamental change.Despite its substantial investment in programming in fragile and conflict-affected situations and the multiple effects of those situations on GEF interventions, the GEF does not yet have a definition, policy, or procedures for designing and implementing projects in fragile and conflict-affected situations. Literature on conflict-sensitive programming emphasizes the importance of institutional instruments in providing normative direction and practical guidance. Without such institutional statements, efforts to be more conflict sensitive will remain ad hoc and uneven and continue to expose the GEF to institutional risk that could otherwise be managed.Several evaluations by the GEF Independent Evaluation Office—including those on GEF support to land degradation, mainstreaming biodiversity, and Least Developed Countries (LDCs)—have provided evaluative evidence on how conflict and fragile situations affect the outcomes and sustainability of GEF support. These evaluations have emphasized that fragile and conflict-affected states should be given due consideration in project design. Even though fragility and conflict are a key factor influencing project delivery and performance, there has not been an independent assessment of GEF interventions in such situations. This is the first such evaluation conducted by the GEF Independent Evaluation Office to look at this topic across the GEF portfolio.This evaluation assesses the impacts of conflict and fragility on the design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of GEF interventions at the global scale, the country and regional levels, and the individual project level. This report analyzes how conflict and fragility affect GEF project outcomes at these three scales, determines the extent to which GEF-supported projects consider the broader conflict content in their design and implementation, and assesses whether consideration of these factors affects project outcomes. Based on these findings, it offers recommendations for improving conflict sensitivity in GEF-sponsored projects.