The Evaluation Office’s mission is to enhance global environmental benefits through excellence, independence, and partnership in monitoring an evaluation.

The GEF Evaluation Office has the central role of ensuring the independent evaluation function within the GEF.

• Sets minimum requirements for M&E,
• Ensures oversight of the quality of M&E systems at program and project levels, and
• Shares evaluative evidence within the GEF.

The Office is responsible for undertaking independent evaluations that involve a set of projects from more than one Implementing or Executing Agency.

These evaluations are typically:

• Annual Performance Reports
• Annual Impact  Reports
• Annual Country Portfolio Evaluations
• Thematic Evaluations: programs, processes, and cross-cutting or Focal Areas.

The GEF Evaluation Office supports knowledge sharing and follow-up of evaluation recommendations. It works with the GEF Secretariat and the GEF  Agencies to establish systems to disseminate lessons learned and best practices emanating from M&E activities and provides independent evaluative evidence to the GEF knowledge base.

Monitoring and evaluation in the GEF have the following overarching objectives:

• Promoting accountability for the achievement of GEF objectives through the assessment of results, effectiveness, processes, and performance of the partners involved in GEF activities. GEF results will be monitored and evaluated for their contribution to global environmental benefits.
   
• Promoting learning, feedback, and knowledge sharing on results and lessons learned among the GEF and its partners, as a basis for decision making on policies, strategies, program management, and projects, and  improving knowledge and performance.
   

 The GEF Evaluation Office was formed by the Council decision of July 2003 .