IEU publications
To serve the needs of our stakeholders, the IEU issues a variety of publications related to our work, including in the context of evaluations and learning. Keep up with the IEU’s latest publications here.
Featured publications
Impact evaluation report for FP069 — Enhancing adaptive capacities of coastal communities, especially women, to cope with climate change induced salinity in Bangladesh
Read moreFinal report of the Independent Evaluation of the GCF's Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme
The independent evaluation of the GCF's Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme undertaken in 2023 by the IEU assesses RPSP supports to GCF-eligible recipient countries delivered under the Readiness programme strategy 2019–2021 and the GCF Upd
Final report of the Independent Evaluation of the Green Climate Fund’s Investment Framework
As part of the work plan and budget of the Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU) for 2023, the GCF Board approved the Independent Evaluation of the GCF Investment Framework.
Final report of the Independent Evaluation of the Green Climate Fund's Energy Sector Portfolio and Approach
The evaluation assesses whether and the extent to which GCF approaches and investments in the energy sector are effective in contributing to the objectives of the UNFCCC and other global agendas.
IEU deliverable at B.36 under the RPSP evaluation
July 2023
The Board-approved workplan of the IEU (document GCF/B.34/28) commissioned the independent evaluation of the GCF’s Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme (RPSP) to assess the progress, results and outcomes, effectiveness, and efficiency of its operational processes. This additional deliverable of the evaluation was submitted at B.36 originally as an annex to IEU’s Activity Report (GCF/B.36/Inf.09), and this standalone version was created to enable stakeholders’ direct and easy access to...
Considerations for integrating behavioural science in Green Climate Fund projects
June 2023
To encourage GCF staff and project developers to identify potential behavioural opportunities, the IEU presents a short list of considerations to highlight which elements of GCF projects may benefit from the application of behavioural science. These are all elements where groups of people must adopt a new behaviour, make a complex decision or execute a complex task. The list of considerations can be utilized during the review and appraisal of project proposals. If deemed relevant, project...
[Approach paper] Independent evaluation of the Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme
June 2023
As part of its Board-approved 2023 workplan, the Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU) is undertaking the Independent Evaluation of GCF’s Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme. The aim of the evaluation is to assess the Readiness programme against key evaluation criteria such as effectiveness and efficiency, relevance, impact, sustainability, complementarity and coherence and other criteria. The evaluation addresses key questions as follows: Assess progress and gains made in the...
Impact evaluation baseline report for FP069: Enhancing adaptive capacities of coastal communities, especially women, to cope with climate change induced salinity
March 2023
This report presents the baseline data for “Enhancing adaptive capacities of coastal communities, especially women, to cope with climate change induced salinity”, a project funded by the Green Climate Fund and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme in Bangladesh. This baseline report provides insights and summary statistics about the socioeconomic situation of project households before project implementation.
Synthesis Note: An IEU deliverable for the Independent Evaluation of the Green Climate Fund's Readiness and Preparatory Support Program
March 2023
This synthesis document offers an overview of existing evaluative evidence on various dimensions of importance to RPSP based on the findings of previous IEU evaluations, including repeating selected findings from the first RPSP evaluation. It will provide preliminary lessons that can feed into the ongoing drafting of a new RPSP Strategy. It will also serve as a basis for the 2023 IEU’s evaluation of the RPSP, which aims to update the GCF Secretariat and the Board on the effectiveness and...
Final Report of the Independent Evaluation of the Relevance and Effectiveness of the Green Climate Fund's Investments in the African States
February 2023
This independent evaluation assesses whether the GCF’s approach and investments in the African States have been effective in promoting a paradigm shift towards low-emission and climate-resilient development pathways. It examines how the GCF’s approach and investments in the African states are relevant to meet the continent’s needs, whether they have been effective in reducing the vulnerability of local communities and their livelihoods and whether these impacts are likely to be sustained.
Final report of the Independent Synthesis of Direct Access in the Green Climate Fund
February 2023
The synthesis of Direct Access in the Green Climate Fund was conducted to assess and provide learning on the Fund’s implementation of the direct access concept and approach and to improve the relevance and performance of the GCF’s direct access modality as a way of accessing financing from the Fund. This independent synthesis used a utilization-focused framework, with the objective of being beneficial to its intended users in terms of providing learning, informing decision-making, and assessing...
Final report of the Second Performance Review of the Green Climate Fund
February 2023
The Second Performance Review of the Green Climate Fund covers the GCF-1 period and seeks to inform, among other things, the next update to the strategic plan (USP-2), currently being discussed for the GCF-2 period (2024–2027). The scope of the SPR includes (1) evaluating the GCF’s progress in delivering on its mandate as set out in the GI and its strategic and operational priorities and actions as outlined in the USP, and (2) the performance of the GCF in promoting a paradigm shift towards low...
Evaluability assessment of the Green Climate Fund funding proposals
December 2022
This paper continues IEU’s effort to assess the tools and frameworks within funding proposals that enable robust monitoring and measurement of results during project implementation. The series began in 2019 with “Becoming bigger, better, smarter: A summary of the evaluability of Green Climate Fund proposals”. This paper presents the progress in the ability of projects to deliver a cost-effective impact on climate adaptation and mitigation during the GCF-1 period.
Behavioural science interventions within the development and environmental fields in developing countries: An evidence gap map
December 2022
This evidence gap map (EGM) presents a landscape of studies on the effectiveness of behavioural science interventions in non-Annex I settings, a group of mainly developing countries within the context of the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The EGM summarizes causal evidence from development and environmental interventions. Understanding what is effective in changing behaviour in these countries is important for both adaptation and mitigation purposes...
[Systematic review] Behavioural science interventions within the development and environmental fields in developing countries
December 2022
This paper presents a systematic review on behavioural science interventions in the human development and environmental/climate fields in developing countries. The review synthesizes evidence on five specific behavioural interventions – feedback, reminders, salience (communication), salience (experience design), and goal setting – and how these influence development and environmental/climate outcomes. It aims to facilitate the use of evidence in informing policy and practice decisions within...
Interventions for women's empowerment in developing countries: An evidence gap map
December 2022
There is a broad spectrum of interventions targeted at gender equality in developing countries. However, to our knowledge, there is no evidence gap map on the effectiveness of interventions to improve women’s empowerment in developing countries. This evidence gap map (EGM) plots studies on the effectiveness of interventions for women’s empowerment in developing countries (defined here as the list of countries defined by the Kyoto Protocol as non-Annex I countries). This EGM serves as a useful...
Effectiveness of life skills training interventions for the empowerment of women in developing countries: A systematic review
December 2022
The GCF’s approach to mainstreaming gender requires a strong understanding of gender issues and gender capacity, and the Fund’s gender policy sets out a commitment to measure the outcomes and impacts of its activities on women and men’s resilience to climate change. Based on the companion evidence gap map, this systematic review evaluates the ability of life skills interventions to promote the empowerment of women of all ages.