Thematic evaluations of Fund performance will provide perspectives on core features of the Fund, such as the country driven and innovative character of Fund operations with a view to assessing the potential for scale up and longer-term impact. Based on extensive consultation processes the currently commissioned thematic evaluations are:

  1. The Fund’s Approach to Support Innovation for Climate Change Adaptation;
  2. Scalability in the Fund, and;
  3. Accreditation and Related Readiness in the Fund.

Other topics identified are knowledge management and learning, and the efficiency of Fund processes.

 

Thematic Evaluation on Innovation

Thematic Evaluation of the Fund’s Approach to Support Innovation for Climate Change Adaptation

The thematic evaluation of the Fund’s approach to support innovation for climate change adaptation has found that the Innovation Facility established by the Fund shows some promising and initial signs of impactful support to adaptation-related innovations, though overall, the progress made since its launch falls short of both its stated ambition and potential contribution.

The operationalization of the Innovation Facility has been delayed for various reasons. The evaluation identified a range of barriers (both internal and external) to realizing the Fund’s innovation-related vision and strategic objective. Such barriers are not likely to be resolved only by spending more time on the current trajectory.

Consequently, this document highlights seven areas of improvement and potential actions in which the Fund should invest to enhance the impact of its support to adaptation-related innovations.

 

Information Update on Phase One of the Thematic Evaluation on Innovation

The focus of this update to the Ethics and Finance Committee brings to the Fund experiences in the field of innovation from the broader sustainable development sphere. Specifically, the report looks at other multilateral climate finance mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), as well as other funding organisations that have climate financing within their mandates. By including institutions from the broader field of development, the analysis allows one to learn, consider examples, and draw inspiration from practice beyond the adaptation-focused landscape of institutions.

The report further provides a discussion on key concepts related to innovation in the context of CCA. The AF-TERG will progress work on a next phase which will review the Fund’s progress in fostering innovation for CCA and on lessons from this experience to date.

 

Thematic Evaluation on Scalability

The rationale for the evaluation of scalability of Fund projects is as follows:

  1. Provide input to the current discussion on scalability at the Fund and within the wider climate change adaptation (CCA) community given (i) the urgency to scale up responses to climate change impacts and (ii) the need to understand what is working and what is not.
  2. Provide lessons on contributing and hindering factors towards project scalability, to further inform the potential for scalability of current and future project supported by the Fund
  3. Feed into the overall evaluation of the Fund, planned for FY24.

The Thematic Evaluation on Scalability is currently underway. It is divided into four different phases:

  1. A review of current definitions/ theory/ science of scaling;
  2. A review of the external landscape, with a special emphasis on funders;
  3. A review of the organisational infrastructure of the Adaptation Fund in view of scaling; and
  4. A review of relevant elements of the Adaptation Fund project portfolio in view of scaling.

The final phase will follow on from the study commissioned by the Adaptation Fund Board Secretariat on specific examples of Fund projects that have been scaled up and replicated using GCF funding. The evaluation aims to include consultations and a dialogue process with relevant stakeholders. The AF-TERG has hired a consultant and finalized the scope and approach for the data collection and analysis. Phases 1 and 2 are currently ongoing.

 

Thematic evaluation on Accreditation

The purpose of the evaluation is to understand if the accreditation process should be strengthened and scaled up to meet the anticipated increase in demand for Fund accreditation. More precisely, the evaluation has the following objectives:

  1. To determine if the design of the (re-)accreditation and readiness process is currently optimized to meet the Fund’s objectives;
  2. To assess the Fund’s capacity to effectively manage the expected influx of (re-) accreditation applications, and
  3. To provide recommendations on how to strengthen (re-)accreditation and related readiness processes.

The thematic evaluation will aim to cultivate lessons learned from the past and present evolution of the accreditation and reaccreditation process to identify successful pathways to its future role for the Fund. The evaluation may draw upon accreditation and readiness lessons learned from similar funds. The findings of the thematic evaluation will feed into the overall evaluation of the Fund, planned for FY24.