57th GEF Council Meeting

Council Members selected the topics for discussion during the next GEF Council Consultations with civil society: “The Application of Traditional Knowledge by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, Stewards of the Global Environment," to be discussed at the 58th meeting of the Council in June 2020, and “Enhancing Climate Resilience and the Role of Civil Society, Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples,” to be discussed at the 59th meeting of the Council in December 2020.

GEF Council Members also convened as the 27th meeting of the Council of the LDCF/SCCF, and adopted an LDCF Work Program comprising nine projects, with resources amounting to $59.95 million for the LDCF, including project grants and Agency fees.

During a pledging session for the LDCF, Dirk Wouters, Belgian Ambassador to the US, announced his country’s pledge of EUR 15 million to the Fund for new projects. Council Members from Sweden, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany reaffirmed their governments’ pledges made earlier in 2019.

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On Wednesday morning the GEF Secretariat presented the Work Program, amounting to $588.5 million, including two Impact Programs on sustainable cities and on food systems, land use and restoration, as well as the first three Non-Grant Instruments and the first dedicated GEF-funded initiative that will focus entirely on indigenous peoples. The Secretariat noted that the Work Program will almost fully achieve GEF-7 targets regarding marine protected areas and land restoration and will contribute substantially to meeting targets regarding emissions of greenhouse gases and persistent organic pollutants.

After seeking a number of clarifications and offering comments about specific elements and projects, Council Members approved the Work Program, which will benefit 87 recipient countries, including 25 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and 24 small island developing States (SIDS).

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Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, opened the 57th meeting of the GEF Council, highlighting the GEF’s role in “navigating” the needed “massive, unprecedented” systems change, underpinned by scientific findings and economic benefits. Warning about the “huge costs of inaction,” she called for a multi-stakeholder coalition of national and subnational governments, businesses and citizens to transform the energy, food and city systems. She also suggested using “super year 2020” to set a nature target, similar to the 1.5°C climate goal, and identifying ways to achieve it.

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The GEF Council Consultation with Civil Society Organizations is organized in collaboration with the GEF-CSO Network, the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP), the Indigenous Peoples Advisory Group (IPAG), and the GEF-funded Global Wildlife Program (GWP) led by the World Bank.

This year's consultations featured a CSO dialogue with GEF CEO and chairperson Naoko Ishii, and discussions on how the GEF's proposed Private Sector Engagement Strategy can enable deeper engagement within the GEF architecture. Stakeholders also engaged in multiple discussions and roundtables on the critical role of civil society in combating illegal wildlife trade, including rural communities and indigenous peoples, to identify and support solutions along the value chain – from supply to trafficking to demand.

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