GEF Country Portfolio Evaluation: Cameroon (1992–2007) MARCH 2009 Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Evaluation Office GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY Global Environment Facility Evaluation Office GEF Country Portfolio Evaluation: Cameroon (1992–2007) March 2009 (The main findings and recommendations of this evaluation were presented to the GEF Council in November 2008.) Evaluation Report No. 45 © 2009 Global Environment Facility Evaluation Office 1818 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20433 Internet: www.gefeo.org Email: [email protected] All rights reserved. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the GEF Council or the governments they represent. The GEF Evaluation Office does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denomi- nations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of the GEF concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. Rights and Permissions The material in this work is copyrighted. Copying and/or transmitting portions or all of this work without permission may be a violation of applicable law. The GEF encourages dissemination of its work and will normally grant permission promptly. ISBN-10: 1-933992-20-4 ISBN-13: 978-1-933992-20-4 [Note that the ISBN for this publication was corrected June 2009 and consequently differs from that in the printed version.] Credits Director of the GEF Evaluation Office: Robert D. van den Berg Task Manager: Lee Alexander Risby, Evaluation Officer, GEF Evaluation Office Evaluation Team: Kai Schmidt-Soltau, Paolo Cerutti, Julius Chupezi-Tieguhong, and Joachim Nguieboouri, consultants Editing and design: Nita Congress Printing: Professional Graphics Printing Co. Cover photo: “The Road to Results,” Paolo Cerutti. Evaluation Report No. 45 A FREE PUBLICATION Contents EN FRANÇAIS Avant-propos .............................................................................................................................. F-1 Remerciements .......................................................................................................................... F-3 1. Principales conclusions et recommandations ...................................................................F-4 1.1 Contexte ........................................................................................................................................................ F-4 1.2 Méthodologie .............................................................................................................................................. F-5 1.3 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................. F-6 1.4 Recommandations ....................................................................................................................................F-10 1.5 Questions émergentes concernant le DAR ........................................................................................F-12 Notes ....................................................................................................................................................................F-12 ENGLISH Foreword ......................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................................... iii Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................... iv 1. Main Conclusions and Recommendations ........................................................................... 1 1.1. Background ...................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Evaluation Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Recommendations .......................................................................................................................................... 6 1.5 Emerging Issues Relating to the RAF ......................................................................................................... 8 Notes .......................................................................................................................................................................... 9 2. Evaluation Framework .......................................................................................................... 10 2.1 Objectives ....................................................................................................................................................... 10 2.2 Key Questions ............................................................................................................................................... 10 2.3 Methodology.................................................................................................................................................. 11 2.4 Scope of the Evaluation ............................................................................................................................... 12 2.5 Limitations ..................................................................................................................................................... 13 iii 2.6 Implementation ............................................................................................................................................ 14 Notes ........................................................................................................................................................................ 14 3. Context of the Evaluation ..................................................................................................... 15 3.1 Country Context ........................................................................................................................................... 15 3.2 Environmental Resources in GEF Focal Areas ...................................................................................... 16 3.3 Environmental Legal Framework ............................................................................................................. 22 Notes ........................................................................................................................................................................ 25 4. The GEF Portfolio in Cameroon ............................................................................................ 26 4.1 Portfolio Breakdown .................................................................................................................................... 26 4.2 GEF Support in the Context of Total ODA ............................................................................................ 34 Notes ........................................................................................................................................................................ 35 5. Results of GEF Support to Cameroon .................................................................................. 36 5.1 Potential Results of Projects under Implementation ........................................................................... 36 5.2 Catalytic Effects ............................................................................................................................................ 45 5.3 Sustainability ................................................................................................................................................. 46 Notes ........................................................................................................................................................................ 50 6. Relevance of GEF Support to Cameroon ............................................................................. 51 6.1 Integration of the GEF into National Sustainable Development ...................................................... 51 6.2 GEF Funding and Ownership .................................................................................................................... 53 6.3 RAF Relevance to Cameroon .................................................................................................................... 54 6.4 GEF Support for Environmental Action Plans ...................................................................................... 56 6.5 Relevance of GEF Support for Global Environmental Benefits ......................................................... 57 Notes ........................................................................................................................................................................ 58 7. Efficiency of GEF-Supported Activities in Cameroon ......................................................... 59 7.1 Time and Effort Needed to Develop and Implement a Project ........................................................