Assessing whether GEF projects deliver lasting results requires attention not only to outcomes at closure but also to sustainability and monitoring quality.

The sixth Annual Performance Report (APR) 2012 provides a detailed account of GEF portfolio performance, with emphasis on project outcomes, risks to sustainability, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) arrangements, terminal evaluation quality, and management action records. Covering fiscal year 2012, the report drew on portfolio analysis and targeted assessments, including completed project reviews and an evaluation of impact measurement arrangements at Chief Executive Officer approval.

The report finds that most projects achieve satisfactory outcomes, though sustaining results beyond closure remains a challenge and M&E systems show uneven quality.

While terminal evaluation quality has improved, delays in submission continue to limit timely use of findings.

During this period, the Evaluation Office also completed a two-year impact evaluation of GEF support in the South China Sea and adjacent areas, advanced work on climate change mitigation, and initiated an impact evaluation of biodiversity support. These studies tested new methods for assessing results in complex systems and informed the Fifth Overall Performance Study (OPS5).

The report recommends improving sustainability planning, strengthening M&E quality and timeliness, and ensuring that impact evaluation findings are systematically integrated into GEF strategies and programming.