73772 Approach Paper Global Program Review (GPR): The Partnership between the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) as an Implementing Agency Report to the Board of Executive Directors from the Committee on Development Effectiveness ∗ Subcommittee Report Meeting of June 27, 2012 The Subcommittee (SC) of the Committee on Development Effectiveness (CODE) considered an Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) Approach Paper entitled Global Program Review: The Partnership between the Global Environmental Facility and the World Bank Group as an Implementing Agency (CODE2012-0012/2). IEG noted that this GPR is narrower in scope than a standard GPR, although the first component has been expanded considerably to focus on the partnership from the perspective of the GEF and the WBG as an Implementing Agency (IA) for the GEF. The second component would review selected topics for which relevant experience exists within GEF and the WBG that are of interest to the WBG’s partnerships with other Global and Regional Partnership Programs (GRPPs). The third component would draw lessons for other large GRPPs from the experience with the GEF’s evaluation arrangements. The first component is an evaluation. The second and third components are reviews. IEG clarified that even though the first component rises to the level of an evaluation, which is not standard GPR practice, this does not change GPR guidelines nor set a precedent for future reviews. Management welcomed the proposed component one of the GPR and stated that the overall focus of the evaluation should be on the experience of the World Bank as an IA for the GEF. It voiced concerns that component two was evaluating the partnership beyond the Bank’s role as an implementing agency and could therefore be seen as going beyond IEG’s mandate. It also highlighted that moving into an evaluation of the GEF’s relevance in the international aid architecture for the environment coincides with initiatives on climate change issues where the WBG is also involved and might not be appropriate, given on-going discussions. On component three it questioned if it was a learning priority for the Bank to look at the effectiveness of the GEF’s evaluation unit. Members welcomed the first component of the approach paper and its focus on the role of the WBG as an IA for the GEF. They noted its relevance and potential lessons learned for GRPPs. On the second and third components, some members and speakers noted that the foreseen work goes beyond providing a second opinion on existing evaluations, and were also concerned about timing and resources. Therefore it was suggested that IEG take relevant elements from components two and three that are focused on the WBG-GEF partnership and incorporate them into component one. ∗ This report is not an approved record.