Evaluation of the Multiple Benefits of GEF Support through Its Multifocal Area Portfolio

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Policy/ Strategy 2017

Evaluation of the Multiple Benefits of GEF Support through Its Multifocal Area Portfolio

Agency

Overview

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is designed as a financial mechanism to help meet the targets of multilateral environmental agreements on biodiversity, climate change, land degradation, chemicals, and transboundary marine and freshwater resources. Given the interconnected nature of environmental issues, interventions intended to meet the targets of one convention may also produce benefits aligned with the targets of other conventions. On the other hand, conflicts may also occur, where benefits to one environmental sector may lead to losses in another. This evaluation aimed to assess the extent to which GEF support has generated multiple benefits—including any synergies and trade-offs—as the funding mechanism of these multiple environmental agreements. The multifocal area (MFA) portfolio was chosen as the focus of this evaluation because it explicitly aims to achieve benefits for more than one focal area. In the process, the evaluation also characterized the MFA portfolio, which is a rapidly growing subset of the GEF portfolio that had not yet been comprehensively assessed.