15 August 2011: The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has announced plans for a series of activities as a contribution to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), aiming to share its experiences in funding environmental projects for the past 20 years.

Among the planned activities is a retrospective analysis on lessons learned from the implementation of recommendations arising from the 1992 Rio Summit, and on the impact of GEF-supported activities over the past 20 years, including national communications and reports to the Rio Conventions – the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

According to the announcement posted on the UNCSD website, GEF also plans to: publish a book highlighting lessons learned from 20 of among the most significant GEF projects carried out since its inception; publish a book on 20 years of energy efficiency investments by GEF; and organize international meetings, workshops and events to promote and foster collaboration among initiatives on UNCSD-related objectives. [GEF Announcement]