Terminal evaluations are a vital element of GEF accountability, providing evidence on project performance and lessons to inform future design.

This report presents the GEF guidelines for terminal evaluations, which operationalize the Monitoring and Evaluation Policy approved by the GEF Council in 2006. The guidelines draw on project-level terminal evaluations conducted by Implementing and Executing Agencies, which are reviewed by the Independent Evaluation Office to validate findings and assess compliance with monitoring and evaluation requirements.

The report finds that terminal evaluations serve four complementary purposes. They promote accountability and transparency by disclosing levels of project accomplishment. They synthesize lessons to strengthen future project selection and implementation. They provide feedback on recurring portfolio issues that warrant attention. They also contribute evidence to aggregated reporting on GEF performance and monitoring quality. The guidelines emphasize that terminal evaluations should offer a comprehensive and systematic assessment of project design, implementation, and outcomes, but should not be used as a justification for follow-up phases.

The report recommends that Agencies apply these guidelines consistently, ensure transparency in evaluation processes, strengthen learning from synthesized lessons, and integrate results into systemwide reporting.