Every GEF project ends with a test: what was achieved, what was learned, and what comes next.

Terminal evaluations provide the answers, offering systematic assessments of project design, implementation, and results at completion. They strengthen accountability, guide decision making, and support knowledge sharing across the partnership. Issued in January 2024, these guidelines update the 2017 version and align GEF practice more closely with international evaluation standards.

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

• Persistent challenges include uneven reporting across Agencies, inconsistent application of rating scales, and limited analysis of sustainability and adaptive management.
• Evaluations add the most value when they document course corrections, capture good practices, and show how struggling projects recovered or generated benefits beyond completion.
• Recommendations emphasize harmonizing reporting, applying performance ratings more consistently, and embedding lessons systematically into GEF databases and decision-making.

Methodology

The guidelines draw on the GEF Evaluation Policy (2019), the IEO’s ethical framework, and international standards such as OECD DAC and UNEG, informed by portfolio review and broad consultation.