The CEB continually strives to enhance the quality of the projects and programmes it finances. Within this policy, the ex post evaluation of projects and programmes constitutes a tool both for operational management and for accountability towards the CEB’s member states. Ex post evaluation enhances the transparency of operations and contributes to

  • assessing the impact and sustainability of projects and programmes financed by the CEB and investigating their performance and quality
  • improving the planning, selection and design of future projects and programmes
  • organisational learning within the CEB through the dissemination of lessons and good practices with a view to improving the Bank’s assistance and services to clients.

Created end 2002, the Ex Post Evaluation Department (DEP) has defined guidelines in accordance with international best practice and OECD DAC Guidelines. The Department is independent from the Bank’s operational services and reports directly to the Governor. It has established an Advisory Working Group, consisting of 5 top experts in the evaluation area. Evaluations are either conducted internally or performed by external consultants, depending on the capacity and competence required.

Each evaluation assesses the design, preparation and implementation of the project or programme at stake. A rating system is used, based on the evaluation criteria relevance (of objectives in regard to needs), effectiveness (achievement of objectives), efficiency (resources used), impact (broader effects) and sustainability (lasting effects). Evaluations systematically comprise a socioeconomic beneficiary survey and a technical assessment of the outputs generated. Reports are confidential but abstracts are available on the CEB's website. Apart from its Director, the DEP is composed of an evaluator and an assistant.


A first evaluation programme concerning CEB disaster recovery and prevention loans was completed in 2006. This area is a priority for CEB and has a significant loan volume. The DEP has further defined its future evaluation strategy in accordance with the CEB’s Development Plan 2005-2009, and new evaluation programmes in the fields of job creation and social housing started in 2006. Two new evaluation programmes, in the health and education sectors will be launched in 2007.

Each evaluation programme starts with the analysis of the Bank’s portfolio and a review of good practices in the sector. This allows the DEP to establish a general analytical framework for the evaluation of the activity sector, from which Evaluation Terms of Reference for individual evaluations are derived. After the realisation of the individual evaluations planned, each evaluation programme ends with an evaluation synthesis which sums up all lessons and recommendations for the CEB in the activity sector concerned.

Need more information? Please refer to one of the following links:


  • Project in response to flooding - March 2004
  • Two projects in response to an ecological disaster - March 2004
  • Project in response to floods - December 2004
  • Project in response to floods - May 2005
  • Three projects in response to flood, mudslide and earthquakes - September 2005
  • One project in response to floods; two projects in response to earthquakes - December 2005