Evaluation categories at the Adaptation Fund
All evaluations overseen by the Technical Evaluation Reference Group of the Adaptation Fund (AF-TERG) are requested, commissioned, and/or approved by the Board. The Adaptation Fund Evaluation Policy identifies three levels of evaluation important to the continuous improvement of Fund performance: fund-level, strategic-level, and operational-level.
A summary of each category of evaluation can be seen in the figure below.
AF-TERG is primarily responsible for fund-level and strategic-level evaluations. Within operational-level evaluations, we are also responsible for ex post evaluations and final evaluation syntheses, while implementing entities (IE’s) are primarily responsible for all other operational-level evaluation activities.
Find project-specific evaluations on the relevant project page, accessible here.
All AF-TERG Evaluations & Syntheses
Below is a list of all published evaluations:
Fund Level
- Comprehensive Evaluation of the Fund (Implementation: 2024 – 2026)
- First Overall Evaluation of the Fund (Implemented: 2015 – 2018)
Strategic Level
Strategy Evaluations
- Mid-term review of the Second Medium-Term Strategy (Ongoing & forthcoming)
- Mid-term review of the Medium-Term Strategy (October 2021)
Thematic Evaluations
Operational Level
Ex post Evaluations
- Climate Change Adaptation Programme In Water and Agriculture In Anseba Region, Eritrea (2024) (Ongoing & Forthcoming)
- Enhancing Resilience of Communities to the Adverse Effects of Climate Change on Food Security in Mauritania (2024) (Ongoing & Forthcoming)
- Enhancing the Adaptive Capacity and Increasing Resilience of Small-size Agriculture Producers of the Northeast of Argentina (2023)
- Increasing Climate Resilience and Enhancing Sustainable Land Management in the Southwest of the Buenos Aires Province (2023)
- Enhancing Resilience of Communities to the Adverse Effects of Climate Change on Food Security in the Pichincha Province and the Jubones River Basin, FORECCSA (2022)
- Enhancing Resilience of Samoa’s Coastal Communities to Climate Change (2022)
Final Evaluation Syntheses
- Second Synthesis of Adaptation Fund Final Evaluations (March 2024)
- Synthesis of Adaptation Fund Final Evaluations (October 2021)
The following sections further define evaluations overseen by AF-TERG.
Fund-level evaluations
These evaluations, conducted approximately every five years, assess the long-term outcomes and impacts of the Fund. Representatives of eligible countries, the donor community, Board members, secretariat, peer organizations, IE’s and other stakeholders are invited to provide insights during the consultative phase of such evaluations. The Board may seek to create an advisory group representative of experts and key stakeholders to guide the evaluations.
Strategic-level evaluations
These evaluations assess the Fund’s performance to enable developing countries to adapt to climate change impacts, and to keep the Fund abreast of developments that can inform theories of change for climate change adaptation. Strategic-level evaluations fall into four types: policy, Fund strategy, Fund instrument, and thematic.
Ex post Evaluations
These evaluations are conducted by AF-TERG three to five years after closure of selected Fund-financed projects. They are designed to assess how project impacts have evolved over time and how sustained outcomes are enhancing the resilience of the broader system. Insights gained from these evaluations are intended to inform continuous improvements within the Fund’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) processes.
Evaluation Syntheses
In order to contribute to the learning of the Fund, the AF-TERG produces syntheses of project final evaluations as part of its work programme. Evaluation syntheses intend to inform the work of the Fund and its partners by synthesizing evaluative evidence, lessons learned, and conclusions from evaluations of projects funded by the Fund and other relevant institutions.