Page - (000106) - in Evaluating Climate Change Action for Sustainable Development

5.4 Results Theassessment concluded that, onaverage, the423projectsofSwiss international cooperation analyzed show “moderate to strong” effectiveness in reducing green- house gas emissions and in increasing people’s ability to copewith the impacts of climate change.Approximately 40%of the portfoliowas found to be strongly or very strongly effective, both in climate change mitigation (114 projects) and adaptation (121projects).Around50%of the total portfolio budgetwas allocated to interventionsassessedasmoderately effective (198projects) in termsofclimate mitigation or adaptation. Only 10% of the projects showed little or no climate benefit. Despite the geographical and cultural diversity of over 70 partner countries within theportfolio, nodifference ineffectivenessbetween thedifferentgeograph- ical regionswere identified. It has been found that climate effectiveness improved over time, with higher effectiveness scores of projects implemented after 2007. Thus the share of adaptation projects rated as highly and very highly effective increased from 23 to 66% between the projects implemented in the periods 2000–2006 and 2007–2012. For mitigation, the increase was from 36 to 54%. Furthermore, recent projects in the portfolio integrated climate change more explicitly into project design and the quality of design of these specific interven- tions improved. Finally, the creation of the SDCGlobal Programme on Climate Changeandthedevelopmentofanewthematicpriority“Fosteringclimate-friendly growth” in SECO are signs of increased strategic importance and institutional awareness on climate change. The stock takingexercisedidnot identify factorsof success that are specific for high climate changemitigation or adaption effectiveness. It rather concluded on general success factors such as a comprehensive project design, high stakeholder commitment and ownership, good project management to be a precondition for highly satisfactory results achievement. At the same time, the report identified several domains that provedhavingpredominantly positive results. Formitigation they include the rehabilitationof hydropowerplants, improving energy efficiency, promoting renewable energy and cleaner production, and improved ecosystem management.Multi-stakeholder forest management projects, biotrade-based con- servation and organic farming projects create in addition tomitigation results, in many cases, also important adaptation benefits. In the adaptation field, Swiss- funded interventions in the areas of risk management, disaster risk reduction (including earlywarning) and insurance are providing real benefits to large num- bers of people in various parts of theworld. Swiss contributions to severalmulti- lateral institutions show high effectiveness overall (both for mitigation and adaptation). For example, the results achieved through theForestCarbonPartner- ship Facility (FCPF), the Partnership for Market Readiness and the UNFCCC Adaptation Fund are clearly noted, with Switzerland contributing to the results through its funding alongside expertise and strategic guidance. 88 M.EggerKissling andR.Windisch