Terminal Evaluation of the UN Environment project “Pilot project on the Development of Mercury Inventory in the Russian Federation”

This report is a terminal evaluation of a UN Environment-GEF project implemented between 2013 and 2017. The project was designed to assist Russia to build capacity and raise awareness towards the upcoming legally binding instrument on mercury, the Minamata Convention. As Russia is one of the largest emitters of mercury, dealing with mercury in Russia is considered to be one of the world priorities in the combat against the global adverse effects on human health and the environment from the chemical element. The specific project objective was to “strengthen capacity of the Russian Federation for the identification of mercury sources, quantification, analysis and monitoring of mercury releases and identification of priority actions to address mercury issues under a future global convention” The evaluation sought to assess project performance (in terms of relevance, effectiveness and efficiency), and determine outcomes and impacts (actual and potential) stemming from the project, including their sustainability. The evaluation has two primary purposes: (i) to provide evidence of results to meet accountability requirements, and (ii) to promote learning, feedback, and knowledge sharing through results and lessons learned among UN Environment, the GEF and their executing partner ITDP and the relevant agencies of the project participating countries.