Minimum Requirements for Project M&E

The GEF Council has approved minimum requirements for the monitoring and evaluation of GEF projects. The Implementing and Executing Agencies use these requirements when developing and implementing GEF projects. When reviewing projects before approval, the GEF Secretariat verifies that the project document has included the M&E requirements.

Minimum Requirement 1: Project Design of M&E

All projects must include a concrete and fully budgeted monitoring and evaluation plan by the time of Work Program entry (full-sized projects) or CEO approval (medium-sized projects). This plan must contain at a minimum:

• SMART indicators for project implementation, or, if no indicators are identified, an alternative plan for monitoring that will deliver reliable and valid information to management

• SMART indicators for results (outcomes and, if applicable, impacts), and, where appropriate, corporate-level indicators

• Project baseline, with:

• a description of the problem to address
• indicator data
• or, if major baseline indicators are not identified, an alternative plan for addressing this within one year of implementation

• identification of reviews and evaluations which will be undertaken, such as mid-term reviews or evaluations of activities

• organizational setup and budgets for monitoring and evaluation.

Minimum Requirement 2: Application of Project M&E

Project monitoring and supervision will include implementation of the M&E plan, comprising:

• Use of SMART indicators for implementation (or provision of a reasonable explanation if not used)

• Use of SMART indicators for results (or provision of a reasonable explanation if not used)

• Fully established baseline for the project and data compiled to review progress

• Evaluations are undertaken as planned

• Operational organizational setup for M&E and budgets spent as planned.

Minimum Requirement 3: Project Evaluation

Each full-sized project must be evaluated at the end of its implementation. This evaluation must meet the following minimum requirements:

• The evaluation must be undertaken independent of project management, or, if it is undertaken by project management, it will be reviewed by the evaluation office of the Implementing or Executing Agency or using independent quality assurance mechanisms of the Agency.

• The evaluation must apply the norms and standards of the appropriate Implementing or Executing Agency.

• The evaluation must assess at a minimum:

• achievement of outputs and outcomes, and provide ratings for targeted objectives and outcomes
• the likelihood of sustainability of outcomes at project termination, and provide a rating for this
• whether the minimum M&E requirements 1 and 2 above were met and provide a rating for this

• The evaluation report must contain at a minimum:

• basic data on the evaluation (when the evaluation took place, who was involved, the key questions addressed, methodology, including application of the five evaluation criteria (see paragraph below)
• basic data on the project, including actual GEF and other expenditures
• lessons of broader applicability
• the TOR of the evaluation (in an annex)

• The report of the evaluation must be sent to the GEF Evaluation Office when ready, and at the latest within 12 months of completion of project implementation.

GEF evaluation criteria

GEF evaluations address five major evaluation criteria. The evaluation terms of reference should explain how the criteria will be analyzed in each case:

Relevance: The extent to which the activity is suited to local and national development priorities and organizational policies, including changes over time.

Effectiveness: The extent to which an objective has been achieved or how likely it is to be achieved.

Efficiency: The extent to which results have been delivered with the least costly resources possible. Also called cost-effectiveness or efficacy.

Results: The positive and negative, and foreseen and unforeseen, changes to and effects produced by a development intervention. In GEF terms, results include direct project outputs, short- to medium term outcomes, and longer-term impact including global environmental benefits, replication effects and other, local effects.

Sustainability: The likely ability of an intervention to continue to deliver benefits for an extended period of time after completion. Projects need to be environmentally as well as financially and socially sustainable.