The 60th meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council adopted a Work Program worth USD 281.1 million, with eight stand-alone, full-sized projects on international waters, four on biodiversity, three on climate change mitigation, and two on chemicals and waste. In total, the funding will support 33 projects and three programs. In addition, the 30th meeting of the Council for the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) and Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) adopted a Work Program totaling USD 60.73 million for seven projects to address climate change adaptation priorities.

The LDCF Work Program involves seven LDCs, five of which are accessing the LDCF for the first time during the GEF-7 period. The LDCF/SCCF Council also approved plans for developing a 2022-2026 climate change adaptation strategy for Council endorsement in June 2022.

Investing in any GEF focal area provides support for the others, while underinvestment in one focal area puts the others at risk. 

These projects will contribute to efforts to address interlinked challenges laid out by Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairperson of the GEF, in his opening remarks to the 60th GEF Council meeting: climate change, biodiversity and wildlife habitat loss, land degradation, ocean pollution and depletion, and dangerous chemicals.

During a dialogue with the GEF Council, the themes of collaboration and the need for synergistic action were raised by the five Executive Secretaries from the conventions for which the GEF serves as a financial mechanism. 

Patricia Espinosa, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, highlighted that the GEF’s original mandate to serve the Convention and the Paris Agreement is now more crucial than ever, as we aim for enhanced global climate ambition in both mitigation and adaptation efforts. 

Ibrahim Thiaw, UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Secretary, said land is an integrator for many of the GEF’s focal areas, and suggested making investments in early warning systems. He stated that the synergies agenda should be the “new normal” in GEF-8 replenishment programming. 

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Executive Secretary, said key aspects of the zero draft of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework are relevant to the GEF, including calls for ensuring the participation of all stakeholders, and outreach and awareness-raising to ensure the uptake of the new biodiversity framework. 

Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions, discussed the interlinkages among chemicals management, biodiversity, and climate change.

Monika Stankiewicz, Executive Secretary of the Minamata Convention, highlighted that investing in any GEF focal area provides support for other focal areas, while underinvestment in one focal area puts other focal areas at risk. 

The Executive Secretaries also discussed planning for the next meetings of their respective COPs. The CBD is expected to convene COP 15 in Kunming, China, in October 2021. The UNFCCC is expected to convene COP 26 in Glasgow, UK, in November 2021. The UNCCD postponed its COP 15 from late 2021 to the first half of 2022, and expects to announce the date and venue soon. Both the combined meetings of the COPs to the BRS Conventions and the fourth meeting of the COP to the Minamata Convention will convene virtually in 2021, followed by in-person events in 2022.

The Council’s adoption of a decision regarding a long-term vision on complementarity, coherence, and collaboration between the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the GEF was also highlighted as an important opportunity for collaboration and building synergies.

In addition to the decisions on the Work Program and collaboration with the GCF, the Council agreed to take action on recommendations included in several evaluation reports conducted by the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the GEF. The Council was also updated on the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel’s (STAP) recent work, its evaluation of the GEF Work Program and programming proposals for the GEF-8 replenishment, and the STAP’s plans for the coming months.  

The GEF Council meeting took place online from 14-18 June 2021. The next meeting of the Council will take place in December 2021. [ENB summary of 60th meeting of the GEF Council][ENB summary video of 60th meeting of the GEF Council]