Protocol for interaction with GEF and convention focal points and civil society

This protocol describes the issues that the GEF Evaluation Office would like to raise with GEF and convention focal points and civil society for the Fifth Overall Performance Study (OPS5). The list is by no means intended to be restrictive: the Office would like to invite participants to raise any issue that they feel is of importance for OPS5. During Expanded Constituency Workshops interaction can take place with representatives of the GEF Evaluation Office, but we would like to invite country participants to:

•Bring any documentation or reports that they feel would contribute to OPS5 or a better understanding of the issues

•Send in any further information to , or to the GEF Evaluation Office, 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC, 20433 USA, Fax No. +1 202 522 1691

•Participate in the survey that will be sent out at a later date

•Interact with independent experts hired for OPS5 that will assess specific areas in the GEF where the Evaluation Office would have a conflict of interest

The following areas and questions have been specifically drawn from the terms of reference of the Fifth Overall Performance Study for interaction with GEF and convention focal points and civil society. The full terms of reference are available on the GEF Evaluation Web site ( Our goal is to have an open and interactive meeting to identify issues that need to be explored further and sources of information. The aim is not to go through these questions one by one and try to answer them fully during the meeting. Following a presentation of OPS5 we will discuss the following in small groups.

Guidance of the conventions

  1. Do you feel that the GEF support in your country matches the guidance of the conventions, as relevant to your country and supportive of national priorities? Would you like to raise any issues in this regard?
  2. Are there any other issues you would like to raise regarding relevance of the GEF support?

Trends in ownership and country drivenness

  1. Do you feel that the GEF support is country driven? Are there any issues you would like to raise about it?
  1. Has the GEF support contributed to your country’s sustainable development agenda and environmental policies? Would you like to raise any issues about it?
  1. Are there any other issues you would like to raise regarding ownership and country drivenness?

Trends in performance issues

  1. Do you feel the GEF project cycle is efficient (with respect to time, effort and money that it takes to develop and implement a GEF project) and how would it compare to other donors’ cycles in your country?
  1. Would you like to raise any issues about the co-funding your country achieved at the level of interventions?
  1. What has been the role, division of labor and comparative advantage of the GEF Agencies in your country?
  1. Have you been involved in monitoring and evaluation of GEF supported projects? Please give examples.
  1. Have GEF lessons been shared with your country or organization, and have lessons learned in your country or organization been shared with the GEF community? Do you have any issues you would like to raise in this regards?
  1. How effective has the GEF been in handling complaints, disputes, and conflicts?
  1. Are there any other issues you would like to raise regarding performance issues?

Involvement of civil society and private sector

  1. Are you satisfied with the involvement of civil society organizations and the private sector in GEF activities in your country? Please give examples.
  1. In what ways could civil society organizations and the private sector be more involved with GEF activities and projects?
  1. What are the barriers to the involvement of civil society organizations and the private sector in GEF activities in your country?
  1. Are there any other issues you would like to raise regarding the involvement of civil society organizations and the private sector in GEF activities?

If there are any documents or reports that touch upon any of these issues, for example from within your own office or organization, we would appreciate receiving a copy (preferably electronically) at .

1