The appraisal template is for internal use by IUCN staff working on field projects, including all projects funded by the GEF through IUCN[1]. The template is first used by an assigned reviewer, which could be the project sponsor[2] acting as an initial appraiser. The reviewer should strive to be independent and impartial when judging the concept and have the relevant expertise to do so. The review is followed by responses by the project manager. Once this has been finalized, the template needs to be submitted to the IUCN Project Review Committee.
Note: The level of information provided should aim to assess the feasibility and consistency of the concept and not address details of implementation. Reviewers will complete the 3nd column and the project manager may provide additional information in the 4th column as a response to the comments provided by the reviewers. The 5th column is used by the Project Review Committee for their appraisal.
General information of the project:
Project title: / Project number
Country/Region: / Project lead organisation and contact:
Total project financing:
Donor funding:
Co-funding: / IUCN: / Country: / Partners:
In-kind contribution: / IUCN: / Country: / Partners:
FOR GEF projects only
Type of GEF sources:
GEF focal area/s:
GEF funding:
Project concept delivery Date: / Project Manager:
Expected Project Start Date:
Review Criteria / Questions / Reviewer comments (including date and name) / Project manager response (proposed rewording, additional docs., information or proposed activities during proposal development) / Appraisal by Project Review Committee
Project ownership by IUCN and partners / Have relevant IUCN regional office/s been involved or have they reviewed the concept?
Is the project endorsed by the IUCN regional director?
Have the proposed (government and non-government) project partners been involved or consulted or have they reviewed the concept?
Alignment with IUCN, donor and lead organisation policies and plans / Alignment with IUCN core / thematic programme areas?
Alignment with IUCN Value proposition?
Alignment with the recipient country’s national policies and plans?
Alignment with the lead organisation strategies and plans?
GEF eligibility / Is the project clearly relevant to the GEF focal area/s results framework?
Has the GEF operational focal point endorsed the project? Has availability of funding been checked with GEF secretariat?
Project Design / Are the problems to be addressed by the project clearly identified and defined?
Have recent and current approaches to address identified problems been reviewed, to ensure synergies, avoid duplication and capture lessons?
Is the theory of change of the project well described (at least in general terms)?
Is the proposed results chain sufficiently clear, in line with the theory of change and appropriate to address the identified problem/s?
Is there evidence that the project organisation has the expertise and capacities to execute the proposed project activities?
Are the expected environmental and social benefits clear and does cost-benefit analysis show that benefits exceed costs?
Is the project consistent and properly coordinated with other related initiatives in the country or in the region?
Is the project clear on how gender has been be mainstreamed in the project design and will be elaborated in the proposal?
Has the cost-effectiveness of the project design been demonstrated, as compared to alternative approaches to achieve similar benefits?
Do the project results have good potential for scaling up? Does the project have a strategy for scaling up?
Project risks / Has the project defined the capacities of partners to deliver and assessed the related risks?
Has the project defined the risks of private sector engagement?
Have potential social and environmental impacts been identified by screening and has the project been classified according to its environmental and social impacts?
Will more in-depth assessments be carried out for issues flagged as potential risks and are capacities or resources available to do so?
Project Financing / Is the proposed funding and co-financing (including all major cost items) justified and adequate to achieve the expected outcomes?
Has co-financing (possible including in kind financing) been confirmed?
Project Monitoring and Evaluation / How is the IUCN secretariat equipped to use tracking tools among partners for relevant project indicators?
Will the proposal include a budgeted M&E plan that monitors and measures results with indicators and targets?
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[1] This template uses relevant sections of the GEF Secretariat Project Initiation Forms while also meeting IUCN’s specific requirements.
[2] The project sponsor occupies a management role and is senior to the project manager. A project sponsor typically approves or supports the allocation of resources, knows the IUCN and unit programmes well and is ultimately responsible for the success of the project. A project sponsor can also champion or advocate for the project to be adopted with other members of senior management. At IUCN project sponsors are often Heads of Programme or Regional Programme Coordinators.