Geeta Batra named director of World Bank GEF

Geeta Batra, a distinguished India-born economist, has made history with her appointment as the Director of the Independent Evaluation Office of the World Bank’s Global Environment Facility (GEF). New Delhi-born Batra, 57, is 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 on Feb 9.

Batra 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.

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Her role will also involve building partnerships with multilateral and bilateral agencies, foundations, and networks, and sharing knowledge on effective environmental strategies.

The GEF has been a significant player in the environmental sector since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, providing substantial grants and co-financing for projects addressing global environmental concerns.

Batra’s appointment signifies a major milestone, reflecting her extensive experience and commitment to environmental evaluation.

Batra studied at the Villa Theresa High School in Mumbai, then completed her Economics from the Stella Maris College, Chennai, followed by an MBA in Finance from the NMIMS, in Mumbai. She then came to the US to earn a PhD.

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After working in various roles, including Senior Manager, Risk, at American Express and serving at the World Bank’s Private Sector Development Department, she joined the GEF’s IEO in 2015.

Batra has co-authored books and articles, plus managed over 100 evaluations, and is “interested in development issues with a particular focus on promoting the use of feasible and practical approaches in monitoring and evaluation, to help achieve better outcomes.”

She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband Prakash and their daughter Roshini. When she is not working, Batra loves the outdoors, goes hiking in national parks, reads historical biographies, and tries out different mouth-watering cuisines. But her all-time favorite foods include India’s good old pav-bhaji, panipuri and chhole bhature.