Projects that succeed are easy to celebrate. The harder, and more useful, work lies in learning from those that fall short, and in understanding how struggling projects recover.

This evaluation fills that gap by analyzing less successful GEF projects to extract lessons for future operations. It examines how risk, ownership, and adaptive management shape outcomes, and how learning from challenges can strengthen current and future interventions.

Something can be learned, and substantively gained, from even the most disappointing project—providing intentional efforts are made to understand where, how, and why initial decisions and subsequent correctional efforts did not result in objectives being attained.

Evaluation overview

• Weak risk analysis, limited government ownership, and unresolved stakeholder conflicts often undermined results.
• Projects that applied early, comprehensive adaptive management were more likely to recover from weak performance.
• The report recommends strengthening risk analysis at design, embedding adaptive management throughout implementation, and systematizing knowledge sharing so lessons shape future strategies.

Methodology

The review covers 202 underperforming projects: 141 closed, 38 ongoing, and 23 canceled or dropped. Evidence comes from portfolio analysis, case studies, and stakeholder interviews.