Blog co-author: Hur Hassnain, Senior Evaluation Advisor, European Commission DEVCO/EES

Over the past eight months, the novel coronavirus pandemic has infected some 20 million people and killed more than 700,000, sparing virtually no country. The economic and social consequences have been devastating. The virus SARS-CoV-2 that caused COVID-19 crossed over from its non-human host, probably a bat, directly or more likely through an intermediate host like a pangolin, to a human in or around the city of Wuhan in China in late 2019. The exact transmission mechanism is still not known but the root causes are clear.

GEF’s support to countries is critical in promoting and implementing environmentally sound practices for medical waste treatment during health crises. It not only promotes global environmental benefits through best management practices, but also builds capacities in countries to minimize the impact of infectious waste on people. Synergies between health care and environmental sustainability are demonstrated through GEF-financed interventions, leading to overall reduction in harm to human health and the environment.

Blog co-author: Gabriel Sidman, Evaluation Officer at the GEF Independent Evaluation Office (GEF IEO)

Introduction

Not in a hundred years has the world been hit by a pandemic this deadly. This means that most of us –whether project designer, implementer or evaluator—have no previous experience on how to cope with a crisis of this scale, nor anticipated it when assessing and preparing against risks to project outcomes. Even worse, how do project managers handle not just one but two shocks during project implementation?