Building upon the achievements of its previous three conferences, and in commemoration of its 20th anniversary, The Global Environmental Facility (GEF)’s Independent Evaluation Office gathered distinguished speakers and participants from 5 to 7 March in Washington DC for the 4th IEO-EED Conference. During two and half days, experts engaged in intense discussions on evaluation within the context of environment and development, sharing insights into ongoing endeavours to refine evaluation methodologies, better capturing the intricate interplay of natural ecosystems and broader evaluation systems. Discussions also explored the artistic, scientific, and epistemological dimensions of evaluation, emphasizing a shift towards more inclusive practices and the integration of local knowledge.

FAO's Economist Ana Paula de la O Campos from the Sustainable Markets, Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Team (SMART) presented results of utilizing Earth Observation and Machine Learning techniques for evaluation. Over recent years, divisions within the organization, such as the Agrifood Economics and Policy (ESA) and Rural Transformation and Gender Equality (ESP) have played pivotal roles in supporting impact evaluations for GEF and Green Climate Fund (GCF) projects. This collaborative effort involved coordination with various units, including the Office of Evaluation Division (OED) and the Forestry Division (NFO). Moreover, ESA and ESP are actively involved in innovating methods and tools for project evaluation utilizing remote sensing data.

Among other partners that participated were academics from William & Mary University, who as part of the GEOFIELD initiative, are aiding different agencies in applying geospatial impact evaluations. ESA receives technical support for evaluating a Somalia irrigation project led by RIMA's team.

Looking forward, Ana Paula, along with other colleagues Antonio Scognamillo, Kunwar Singh, and Ariel Ben Yishay from GEOFIELD, will spearhead a research program. Using geospatial impact evaluation techniques, they aim to assess the sustainability and inclusivity of India's rural development flagship programmes.