Insights from testing a new methodology for unified evaluation of multilateral environmental agreements

The document describes a methodology developed by SEI for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to evaluate the coherence and effectiveness of national implementation of MEA clusters. Tested in Estonia and Tanzania on four biodiversity-related agreements, the methodology uses 15 governance categories to score performance as 'strong', 'moderate', or 'weak'. Findings indicate the tool is useful and relatively easy to apply, though outcomes are harder to trace than processes, and the methodology may require adaptation to specific national contexts.

• The methodology evaluates national implementation across 15 categories of good governance, divided into 'implementation effectiveness' (categories 1-11 and 13) and 'objective-led effectiveness' (categories 12, 14, and 15), the latter of which focuses on real-world outcomes.
• Testing in Estonia and Tanzania demonstrated that the methodology is applicable and useful, though it revealed that benchmarks for 'ideal implementation' should serve as broad guidance rather than strict individual evaluation criteria.
• The evaluation process found that while implementation processes are typically well-documented, tracing and attributing specific outcomes to the implementation of MEAs is more difficult.
• The methodology can be operationalized by two experts (an environmental policy analyst and an environmental law expert) working full-time for two months over a six-month period, primarily through desk-based research supplemented by stakeholder meetings.
• The authors suggest that countries establish permanent joint working groups to coordinate the implementation of MEA clusters, as current coordination is often only informal.
• Widespread adoption of this unified evaluation methodology could lower the costs of national reporting for individual MEAs, potentially increasing the number of countries that meet their reporting obligations.

APA

Kuldna, P., Peterson, K., Senyagwa, J., & Noel, S. (2014). Insights from testing a new methodology for unified evaluation of multilateral environmental agreements. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/NEW/sei-db-2014-kuldna-evaluationofmeassmall.pdf

Chicago

Kuldna, Piret, Kaja Peterson, Jacqueline Senyagwa, and Stacey Noel. Insights from testing a new methodology for unified evaluation of multilateral environmental agreements. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2014. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/NEW/sei-db-2014-kuldna-evaluationofmeassmall.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kuldna |first1=Piret |last2=Peterson |first2=Kaja |last3=Senyagwa |first3=Jacqueline |last4=Noel |first4=Stacey |title=Insights from testing a new methodology for unified evaluation of multilateral environmental agreements |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2014 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/NEW/sei-db-2014-kuldna-evaluationofmeassmall.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kuldna2014insights, author = {Kuldna, Piret and Peterson, Kaja and Senyagwa, Jacqueline and Noel, Stacey}, title = {{Insights from testing a new methodology for unified evaluation of multilateral environmental agreements}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2014}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/NEW/sei-db-2014-kuldna-evaluationofmeassmall.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }