ABSTRACT
Evaluation enhances the effectiveness of the Global Environment Facility's (GEF's) interventions in the pursuit of global environmental benefits. It is used to improve the design and performance of a planned or ongoing project or program (a formative evaluation); to make an overall judgment about the effectiveness of a completed project or program; and to generate knowledge about what works and why. The GEF Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) pushes the frontiers of environmental evaluation using recently developed evaluation approaches, testing a variety of methods, and using big data. This chapter explores the spectrum of IEO evaluations – from project-level validations to comprehensive evaluations on institutional and impact themes – and the variety of quantitative and qualitative methods employed. The IEO provides insights into the early design and implementation of programs and projects, and delves into evidence on socioeconomic outcomes. Evaluations may also address a cross-cutting theme, issue, or focal area. Central focus areas are additionality and transformational change. Evaluations begin with establishing a theory of change and use a mixed-methods quantitative approach. The IEO has pioneered the use of remote sensing and geospatial methods to environmental and development evaluation, and the chapter provides examples of their design and use.
