National Capacity Self-Assessments, introduced in 2002, provide the first global framework for countries to identify and prioritize environmental capacity needs.

The 2011 Annual Thematic Evaluations Report reviews GEF activities during fiscal year 2010 and presents the evaluation of National Capacity Self-Assessments (NCSAs).

Spanning $28.7 million invested across 146 countries, the evaluation aimed to determine the relevance, efficiency, and results of the NCSA initiative a decade after its launch and to provide lessons for a new GEF strategy on capacity development. The evaluation team combined portfolio review and stakeholder consultations, including a global workshop, to assess progress.

The report finds that NCSAs offered the first global framework for countries to analyze capacity needs, fostered stakeholder dialogue, and informed 23 follow-up cross-cutting capacity development projects, each supported with $0.5 million. It also finds that although NCSAs produced relevant information, they were not consistently followed up in GEF programming or taken up in convention processes, limiting their long-term influence.

The report recommends incorporating NCSA lessons into a new strategic framework for GEF-6 capacity development and broadening dissemination of NCSA knowledge through workshops and knowledge platforms.