Introduction

1. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a financial mechanism that provides grants and concessional funds to recipient countries for projects and activities to protect the global environment. The governance structure of the GEF includes an Assembly, a Council, a Secretariat, a Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel and an Independent Evaluation Office (IEO). Projects financed by the GEF are implemented by eighteen GEF Agencies. The IEO is functionally independent of, but administratively supported by, the World Bank. It is independent from the CEO of the GEF and reports directly to the GEF Council. The GEF Council authorizes IEO's four-year rolling work plans, approves annual budgets and receives all evaluation reports.
2. The IEO has the central role of ensuring the independent evaluation function within the GEF; of setting minimum requirements for evaluation; of ensuring oversight of the quality of evaluation systems at program and project level; and of sharing evaluative evidence within the GEF. The IEO has the responsibility for undertaking independent evaluations which involve a set of projects from more than one GEF Agency. These evaluations are typically on a strategic level, including impact evaluations and evaluations of GEF work across specific themes or country clusters. Evaluations may be highly complex when undertaken jointly with other evaluation units of GEF Agencies.
3. The United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) is committed to strengthening the quality and utility of evaluations across the UN system, recognizing that the interdependence of social, economic, and environmental dimensions is a cornerstone of sustainable development. To ensure this is assessed systematically, UNEG established Norm 11 (Integrating Environmental and Social Impacts) and Standard 4.8 (Mainstreaming consideration of environmental and social impacts). This norm and standard ensure that evaluations reflect the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment and thoroughly examine the environmental effects and related social and economic consequences of interventions by the UN and partners.
4. The UNEG Working Group on Climate Change and Environment is commissioning an individual consultancy to develop guidance on the integration of environmental and social considerations into evaluations. This guidance is intended to provide a practical "how-to" for applying the UNEG Environmental and Social Impact (ESI) Norm and Standard The guidance will be applicable to all UNEG agencies and should be usable for agencies that do not have environmental programming. During 2025 the UNEG working group developed an outline for the content of the guidance, which the consultant will build on.
5. This consultancy is commissioned by the Independent Evaluation Office of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) but is directly managed by the coordinators of the UNEG Working Group on Climate Change and Environment.

Objectives of the Consultancy

• The overall objective of the consultancy is to provide a practical “how-to” for applying the UNEG Environmental and Social Impact (ESI) Norm and Standard.   
• Specifically, the consultant will:
  1. Design and deliver a guidance document, complete with practical tools and clear, actionable steps, enabling evaluation practitioners to integrate environmental and social considerations into their evaluation approaches, questions, and reports, regardless of sector or context.
  2. Develop content that enables evaluators to clearly articulate the environmental-social link, use plain language, and be accessible to all UNEG members. 

Scope of Work

The consultant will execute a process of research, synthesis, drafting, and validation to produce the final Guidance Document including annexes.

A. Design

1. Based on existing guidance review best practices for integrating E&S considerations from across the UN system, GEF Implementing Agencies, and multilateral development banks. 
2. Design and structure the guidance based on the review and agreed table of content with the working group as needed.

B. Drafting

1. Develop the guidance document (approximately 15 pages excluding annexes) ensuring it covers the full range of ESI Norm requirements. This includes establishing key concepts and detailing the integration of E&S considerations into evaluation questions, theories of change, analytical tools, and data sources.
2. Develop content for necessary annexes, including a Glossary, generic Theory of Change, sample evaluation questions, and checklists for use during the TOR, inception, reporting, dissemination and management response phases.
3. Submit the draft Guidance Document to the UNEG Working Group for review and feedback.

C. Finalization

1. Integrate all feedback and work together with the UNEG Working Group on finalizing the guidance, including design elements. 
2. Develop a brief presentation and a 1-page summary to support the dissemination and immediate application of the guidance.

Deliverables and Timeline

The following table outlines the main deliverables and payment triggers for a total consultancy of 22 working days spread over 3.5 months. 

Qualifications and Experience

• Mandatory Requirements:
  • Education: Minimum of a master’s degree in environmental management, Social Sciences, Development Evaluation, or related field.
  • Professional Experience: A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience, including:
    • Evaluation Expertise: Conducting or managing evaluations of development and/or environmental projects/programs,
    • Environmental expertise: Experience with environmental research and/or programs
    • UN System Experience: Experience conducting evaluations or working in a technical role for UN Agencies preferably across humanitarian and development sectors.
    • Proven experience in delivering high-quality guidance documents for international organizations or multilateral institutions.
• Excellent written and oral English communication skills are required.

Institutional Arrangements and Selection

• The Consultant will work with the UNEG Working Group on Climate Change and the Environment Leads, under the guidance and supervision of the Director of the Independent Evaluation Office of the Global Environment Facility – GEFIEO.
• The final selection will be based on the candidates’ qualifications and experience (CV) and their financial offer.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited for an interview

How to Apply

• Terms of Reference
• Interested candidates should submit their CV along with a cover letter at gefevaluation@thegef.org with a “STC UNEG Guidance” as the subject line. The CV should provide information on academic training, professional skills, writing skills, relevant work experience, and contact information.
• The deadline for this application is November 7, 2025.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.