Country Portfolio Evaluation (CPE) Sri Lanka

The Joint GEF/Sri Lanka Country Portfolio Evaluation (CPE) was conducted by the GEF Independent Evaluation Office in collaboration with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Finance and Planning, through a Joint Steering Committee. GEF support to Sri Lanka was initiated during the GEF pilot phase in 1992. Up to December 2012, 14 national projects have been completed, 6 projects are being implemented while 2 more projects are at approval stage, and 1 at proposal stage. Out of the total national projects (23), an equal number of projects (9 each) have been invested in biodiversity and climate change.

The CPE found the following conclusions: GEF projects in biodiversity have effectively supported actions identified by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Environment and related departments; in climate change, GEF supported activities have created an enabling environment for renewable energy through removal of barriers and establishment of transparent tariff mechanisms, enabling market transformation and uptake beyond GEF support; The use and incorporation of lessons from previous projects has been at best ad-hoc in the early GEF phases; recent projects (GEF4 and later) refer to previous lessons in their design and include budget lines for disseminating lessons both locally and internationally; Results are mixed in relation to the effectiveness of GEF support to Sri Lanka in producing results that last in time and continue after project completion; GEF supported projects have not followed a gradual progression from foundational activities to demonstration and then investment, leading to less progress toward impact after project closure; GEF support to Sri Lanka has had a demonstration effect in linking environmental conservation measures with compatible sustainable livelihood and development activities.