Information on the outcome of the preceding COSOP should be included as an Appendix.  This would amount to 2-4 pages including tables and, if a longer COSOP Completion Report has been prepared, then this would be a summary.  The CCR would be a self-evaluation carried out by the IFAD country team, and may feed into a more detailed Country Portfolio Evaluation carried out by OE. 

The COSOP Completion Report (CCR) could include paragraphs on the following:

• Introduction – including period covered by the COSOP
• Context – overall economic performance and political developments in the country during the period
• Country poverty alleviation objectives and results – progress made at the country level in meeting PRSP and MDG targets, and areas where IFAD has made a particular contribution.
• IFADs lending programme and other activities implemented during the COSOP period and whether these were as envisaged in the COSOP. 
• Progress towards Strategic Objectives – the objectives of the COSOP and the degree to which they could be achieved.  
• IFAD performance - portfolio performance indicators and outcomes in terms of country team development, partnerships, innovation and knowledge management. 

The progress towards Strategic Objectives should be assessed in terms of: (i) relevance to national (PRSP) goals and IFAD strategies; (ii) selectivity with regard to IFAD’s comparative advantage at the country level and harmonisation with other donors; and (iii) effectiveness – realism of the expected outcomes and actual achievement with evidence from key indicators.  This should also include any cross-cutting objectives including gender issues. Data for indicators may be an aggregation of project level RIMS and other M&E data.  This approach is in line with the framework for Country Portfolio Evaluations.  

Although old-format COSOPs do not have strategic objectives and results frameworks, it should be possible to identify their objectives and assess the degree to which these objectives were achieved.   Such retrofitting of results frameworks to old-style country strategies is now the practice for World Bank Country Assistance Strategy Completion Reports.

Information on IFAD performance can be obtained from the most recent country performance issues sheet, but should relate to objectives and aspirations mentioned in the COSOP.   In old-style COSOPs this section may include portfolio management, partnerships, and policy dialogue.   Unlike Strategic Objectives, these are results that are within the direct responsibility of IFAD management.     

The analysis of the country progress in poverty reduction, COSOP results and IFAD performance should lead to a number of lessons that are relevant for IFAD operations and development of future IFAD strategy.  These lessons should seek to identify what works and what does not work.  

Much of the information in the CCR could be summarised in a matrix format – an example layout of such a matrix is shown below based on an example from the World Bank. Alternatively (or in addition) the outcomes can be shown on the Results Framework that is used for planning the COSOP.   

CCR conclusions and lessons would be discussed in a stakeholder workshop with representatives from government, other donors and civil society.  This may be the same workshop that would be held for the inception of the new COSOP.  It is important that the CCR is available at this time and so is useful for the formulation of the new COSOP.  For this reason the CCR will need to be quickly prepared and detailed consultations and field work would not be appropriate.

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