ABSTRACT
As most Global Environment Facility (GEF) funding takes the form of grants to recipient countries, the fund needs to be replenished periodically. This chapter describes the replenishment process as a technical and financial negotiation taking place in a highly political context. The GEF operates through a four-year funding cycle, at the end of which the donor governments replenish the fund. However, economic downturns tend to reduce available funds and increase competition for priority. Evaluation plays a critical role in replenishment – informed decisions about GEF programing require knowledge of what has proven effective. The chapter explores how the Sixth Comprehensive Evaluation of the GEF (OPS6) became one of the three key documents informing the organization's seventh replenishment. OPS6 was designed to involve all stakeholders and provide timely information for the decision-making processes. OPS6 addressed the role and comparative advantage of the GEF in the global landscape for environmental finance. The report discussed the issues of the GEF's relevance to the conventions and countries; the comparative advantage, performance, impact, and transformational change of the GEF; and the effectiveness of the institutional framework, governance, and policies.
