2019 Economic Development Evaluation

Joint Nordic Organisational Assessment of the Nordic Development Fund (NDF)

Stephen Spratt, Eilis Lawlor, Kris Prasada Rao, Mira Berger

This report is the result of a request from the Nordic Development Fund’s (NDF) Board of Directors to the Evaluation Departments at the Nordic Development Cooperation Agencies for an independent input to strategic decisions on the future direction of NDF.

The fund and its program activities have been evaluated, upon request from five Nordic evaluation units and organisations. The EBA has coordinated the evaluation.

The report was presented during the seminar Towards a More Effective Climate Financing: The Nordic Development Fund Evaluated.

Conclusions

  • The NDF is well-functioning and has good future potential, though, the owners need to contribute more capital if programs are to continue.
  • The focus on climate adaptation provides a clear value added, as do the flexible and rapid working methods. The cooperation with multilateral development banks is established and a clear advantage.
  • To preserve and develop the strengths of the NDF, a theory of change that provides a clear strategic orientation to the activities needs to be developed as soon as possible.
  • The specific challenge fund, the ‘Nordic Climate Facility’, needs to be better integrated into the NDF;
  • NDF needs to improve its system for monitoring, evaluation and learning. Knowledge about effects from its investments is currently much too weak.

Rapportförfattare
Dr Stephen Spratt, Director of Just Economics, London
Dr Eilis Lawlor, Director of Just Economics, London
Kris Prasada Rao, Consultant Board, member PEMconsult, Köpenhamn
Mira Berger, Evaluation Consultant at Particip GmbH, Freiburg