Evaluating ozone projects in transition economies shows the challenges of sustaining compliance and capacity.

The third Annual Impact Report reviewed GEF activities from 2002 to 2009, drawing on an impact evaluation of GEF assistance for phasing out ozone-depleting substances (ODS) in economies in transition, a pilot study testing experimental project design, and ongoing biodiversity evaluations in Peru with the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group.

The ODS evaluation showed that GEF support helped countries meet Montreal Protocol commitments, with progress in eliminating CFCs, addressing illegal trade, and engaging the private sector, while also noting gaps in capacity and destruction facilities for obsolete chemicals.

The experimental design study demonstrated the potential to test incentives while controlling for external factors, a method that could strengthen future evaluations. Early biodiversity findings underscored the importance of local and Indigenous community participation for sustaining results and highlighted challenges in scaling outcomes without sufficient follow-up.

The report also advanced the Review of Outcomes to Impacts (ROtI) methodology, which informed OPS4. It recommends greater investment and capacity support for economies in transition, broader use of private sector models, and stronger legislation, enforcement, and ODS management.