Background and Rationale

The IFAD Near East and North Africa Division (PN) is planning to prepare a new country strategic opportunities  paper  (COSOP)  for  Syria  in  2001  to  launch  a  new  programming  cycle.  The  division requested the Office of Evaluation and Studies (OE) to undertake a country portfolio evaluation (CPE) as a prelude  to the  strategy  formulation  process.  The  purpose  of this  CPE  is to assess  the  Syria/IFAD cooperation experience and derive strategic and operational directions for the future and present portfolio of projects.

Cooperation between Syria and IFAD started in 1982. Since then, the Fund has financed five projects in  Syria,  with  a  total  cost  of  USD  360  million,  of  which  IFAD  loans  amount  to  USD 80  million. Cofinanciers  have  been  the  Arab  Fund  for  Economic  and  Social  Development  (AFESD)  (USD 145 million),  the  World  Bank  (USD  10  million),  the  United  Nations  Development  Programme  (UNDP) (USD 3 million) and the Government of Syria (USD 101 million) and the Cooperative Agriculture Bank (USD 11 million). AFESD is the cofinancier and cooperating institution (CI) for the four ongoing projects, and the World Bank was the CI for the first, and the only closed, project.

Closely following the new approach to evaluation, the CPE consisted of an assessment with partners of the progress and impact of the portfolio. In the preparatory stage, a background paper was completed on available project design, implementation, evaluation and policy documents. This served as a starting point for the CPE. Next, a brief field reconnaissance mission visited Syria to discuss with partners their expectations, priorities, desired focus and modus operandi of the CPE. The results of this were compiled in  an  approach  paper  that  included  specification  of  the  main  CPE  issues,  methodology,  mission composition and the core learning partnership (CLP).

Fielded during May/June 2000, the CPE mission traveled extensively in all five project areas and used participatory methodology to assess portfolio achievements. The mission concluded its fieldwork with a national-level evaluation workshop designed to allow participants to discuss the preliminary findings with a wide range of partners, including IFAD staff from OE and PN, CI staff, government and project staff, community-based   organizations,   non-governmental   organizations   (NGOs)  and  donors/partners.   The results of the workshop  directed the main emphasis  of the CPE report. The completion  agreement  is expected to be finalized at the CPE round-table workshop, to be held in Damascus during the first half of

2001 with the participation of evaluation committee members.