GEF has tightened the rules for how projects are evaluated at completion.

Effective January 2024, new guidelines from the Independent Evaluation Office replace 2017 instructions and respond to the need for greater consistency and quality in terminal evaluations of full-size projects. Grounded in the GEF Evaluation Policy (2019) and aligned with international standards, the guidelines strengthen accountability, transparency, and learning across the partnership.

A terminal evaluation is expected to provide a comprehensive and systematic account of the evaluated project by assessing its design, implementation, and observed results at project completion.

Evaluation overview

• The guidelines define the required scope and content of terminal evaluation reports, including assessments of outcomes, factors affecting results, and lessons for adaptive management.
• They clarify roles and responsibilities for Agencies, evaluation teams, and operational focal points, emphasizing evaluator independence, stakeholder consultation, and attention to gender equality, safeguards, and knowledge management.
• They establish clear timelines: evaluations must be completed within six months of project closure, submitted to the GEF Portal within two months, and shared publicly within six months.