NRI Economist Geeta Batra Named As
First Woman Director Of World Bank GEF

Los Angeles, Feb 26, 2024
NRIpress.club/Ramesh/ A.Gary Singh

NRI Geeta Batra, a distinguished economist, has been appointed as the Director of the Independent Evaluation Office of the World Bank's Global Environment Facility (GEF). This historic appointment makes her the first woman from a developing country to hold this prestigious position. 

Currently serving as the Chief Evaluator & Deputy Director for Evaluation at the GEF's Independent Evaluation Office (IEO), affiliated with the World Bank, Batra's nomination for the role received unanimous approval during the 66th GEF Council Meeting in Washington.

Geeta Batra, aged 57, outlined her top priorities, emphasizing the delivery of sound evaluative evidence on GEF's results and performance, leadership to keep the GEF IEO at the forefront of environmental evaluation, and the strengthening of IEO teams through skill development. 

About Geeta

• Geeta Batra is Chief Evaluation Officer and Deputy Director at the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Independent Evaluation Office (IEO).
• She has 28 years of experience in international development and evaluation in the private sector and at the World Bank.
• For ten years, she worked with the World Bank on private sector operations and advisory services,
• And over the last eighteen years she has worked as an evaluator – first, at the IFC heading the global unit for results and evaluation of advisory services, at the World Bank managing the portfolio of country and corporate evaluations in the Independent Evaluation Unit, and with the GEF IEO conducting and managing evaluations focusing on environmental interventions.
• In addition to managerial responsibilities, she continues to publish evaluation findings in journals and World Bank Group Publications.