Results Measurement
On an annual basis, the medium and full-sized GEF supported projects that have been under implementation for a minimum of one year undergo an extensive monitoring and reporting exercise. UNDP GEF is also extending this process to enabling activities. These project monitoring reports are then aggregated by focal area – for example biodiversity, climate change mitigation, land degradation, international waters. These are then further aggregated into one UNDP Annual Monitoring Report.
For example, during this most recent GEF fiscal year (July 2007 – June 2008), the results of 218 UNDP GEF projects implemented in 75 countries were monitored. Some of the key results reported include:
- Cumulatively, 413.25 million tons of CO emissions have been avoided since the beginning of the projects in this portfolio until the end of FY 2008. This is slightly less than the 437.8 million tons of CO emitted in Mexico in 2004. In this reporting period alone, a total of 27.25 million tons of CO2 emissions were avoided.
- 127 new Protected Areas (PAs) covering 10.02 million hectares have been created in 50 countries through the implementation of 65 biodiversity projects. This is roughly equivalent to 3 times the total surface area of Switzerland. An additional 163 new PAs covering 8.6 million hectares are in the process of being established - roughly equivalent to twice the total surface area of Switzerland. 398 existing PAs covering 73.9 million hectares have been strengthened - roughly equivalent to 18 times the total surface area of Switzerland.
- An additional 34 Biodiversity projects undertaken in 33 countries are working to mainstream biodiversity objectives into economic sector activities to ensure production practices maintain essential ecosystem functions. These projects report that approximately 257 million hectares are directly or in-directly covered through project activities. This is roughly equivalent to the 63 times the total surface area of Switzerland.
- The overall burden of nutrient and other pollution to the Danube/Black Sea basin system has been reduced and the Black Sea ecosystem is showing measurable progress in recovery including virtual elimination of the large dead zone once prevalent over much of the northwest shelf of the Black Sea and the return of several species only recently considered locally extinct. This is in large measure a result of 15 years of catalytic support to both foundational (TDA/SAP) work and implementation of agreed reforms and investments in the Danube/Black Sea basin.
- 32 countries are making substantial progress in developing the legal, policy and institutional frameworks necessary to ensure the long term sustainability of international water bodies of vital environmental and strategic importance in their country and/or region. Many other countries continue to strengthen their frameworks. For example in this reporting period, the Ministers of Niger, Chad and those of the countries in the Guinea Current adopted Strategic Action Programmes committing countries to governance reforms targeting their agreed priority transboundary environmental and water resource issues.
- 61% of the biodiversity projects have taken measures – directly and/or indirectly – associated with climate change adaptation and 90% of the biodiversity projects have addressed MDG 1 to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. This highlights the significant contribution of UNDP GEF projects to other global environmental priorities as well as other to other sustainable development issues.
These results are made possible through a steady growth in the UNDP GEF portfolio of projects of 63 in 1999 (valued at US$249 million in GEF funding) to 218 projects in 2008 (valued at US$ 933 million in GEF funding). Since these figures were last monitored in the UNDP GEF Annual Monitoring Report in 2007, the portfolio of projects has risen from 212 projects valued at US$835 million in GEF funding and nearly US$2 billion in co-financing to 218 projects valued at US$933 million in GEF funding and US$ 2.535 billion in other financing.
The UNDP GEF 2008 Annual Monitoring Reports will be posted shortly.
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