S ignposts GEF Country Portfolio Study: Timor-Leste (2004–11) April 2012 In 2012, the Independent Evalu- awareness, created knowledge, and provided a forum for ation Office of the Global Envi- the government to discuss and define its environmental pri- ronment Facility (GEF) under- orities. took a country portfolio study of In the biodiversity focal area, the GEF has supported GEF support to Timor-Leste. Country portfolio studies are the country in formulating its biodiversity strategy, which intended to complement the country portfolio evaluations assisted the government in defining its priorities for the next that are one of the Office’s main evaluation streams of work. decade. In the climate change focal area, the national adap- Specifically, country portfolio studies provide additional tation program was prepared through enabling activities. It regional coverage of country portfolios, but with a reduced raised capacity to understand and map possible impacts focus and scope. They are undertaken where opportunities of climate change on the country. However, in other focal exist to collaborate with independent evaluation offices of areas such as international waters and land degradation, GEF partners as they undertake country evaluations. They GEF projects have yet to produce significant results in terms thus enable the Office to study a country’s GEF portfolio of reduced stresses, and the practical element of capacity- with a relatively lower investment of cost and effort; this building activities was also missing. also reduces the evaluation burden on the country, while insights and understanding are gained through information Relevance exchange and collaboration. GEF support in Timor-Leste has been relevant to the The Timor-Leste country portfolio study was conducted in country constitution and Strategic Development Plan parallel with the United Nations Development Programme and priorities, as well as to the country’s efforts to fulfill (UNDP) Assessment of Development Results for Timor- its obligations under the international agreements to Leste (2003–10). Since 2002, the GEF has invested which it is a signatory. This support has covered the range $7.9 million in Timor-Leste, with $32.7 million in cofinancing. of GEF focal areas for which the country is eligible—biodi- GEF funding has been provided through seven national versity, climate change, and land degradation. The projects projects. Climate change accounts for the largest share of have been aligned with government policies and plans for funding, with 87 percent of GEF support. the environment, as well as providing impetus for the devel- opment of further plans and strategies that have sharpened Findings priorities for adaptation, biodiversity, and land degradation. Results The relevance of this support will be enhanced with the GEF support has assisted Timor-Leste to develop foun- forthcoming implementation of the Least Developed Coun- dational capacities, raising the profile of environmental tries Fund climate change adaptation and biomass projects, issues and establishing national priorities, particularly which are closely aligned with the Strategic Development in biodiversity and climate change. GEF projects have Plan and will support forthcoming environmental laws and focused on enabling and capacity-building activities that policies. However, there are still gaps in relevance, which have helped the country fulfill its initial obligations to global provide opportunities for progress to be made at the inter- environmental conventions. These projects have raised national and national policy levels. GEF Country Portfolio Study: Timor-Leste (2004–11) S ignposts Efficiency Lessons Learned Weak capacity is a problem affecting GEF-funded proj- ●● The GEF project approach is challenging for Timor- ects throughout their activity cycle. In the last decade, Leste, given its transition out of fragility. A longer term considerable progress has been made to improve the skills, engagement or a programmatic approach may reduce education, and knowledge of government officials across the administrative burden and improve continuity. all sectors. However, a key challenge is the lack of human ●● Livelihood linkages to environmental management are capacity within government and the lack of availability of key for the development of the GEF portfolio in Timor- national consultants to assist with the design, implementa- Leste. tion, and management of GEF projects. In most cases, the UNDP country office has had to hire short-term international Follow-Up experts to produce outputs. The high staff turnover has made it difficult to maintain continuity. The main conclusions and lessons learned of this evalu- ation were presented to the GEF Council in June 2013 as An exception to this norm is the approach being developed an information document as well as an input to the GEF under the first national communication to the United Nations Annual Country Portfolio Evaluation Report 2013. Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is based on a national team and includes expertise from within the region, thereby emphasizing South-South cooperation in The GEF Independent Evaluation Office is an independent entity capacity building. reporting directly to the GEF Council, mandated to evaluate the focal area programs and priorities of the GEF. The full version of GEF Country Portfolio Study: Timor-Leste (2004–11) (Evaluation Report No. 77) is available on the GEF Independent Evaluation Office website, www.gefeo.org. For more information, please contact the Office at gefevaluation@thegef.org.