57th GEF Council Meeting

GEF Council Documents | LDCF/SCCF Council Documents | CSO Consultations Agenda 

IISD Reporting Services Coverage

Full Event Video Playlist

The Council, the GEF's main governing body, comprises 32 Members appointed by constituencies of GEF member countries (14 from developed countries, 16 from developing countries and 2 from economies in transition). Council Members rotate every three years or until the constituency appoints a new Member. The Council, which meets twice annually, develops, adopts and evaluates the operational policies and programs for GEF-financed activities. It also reviews and approves the work program (projects submitted for approval), making decisions by consensus.

December 19

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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Watch video of the full session

December 18

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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Watch videos of the AM session and PM session

December 17

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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Watch videos of the AM session and PM session

December 16 - GEF Consultations with Civil Society

The GEF Council Consultation with Civil Society Organziations 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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Watch videos of the AM session and PM session

The video below features Council participants looking towards 2020 and beyond for action on climate change, oceans, and biodiversity.

Multilateral Environmental Agreements Dialogue

On December 16, 2019, at the margins of the 57nd GEF Council, the GEF held the Fifth Informal Dialogue with Secretariats of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). The dialogue was chaired by Ms. Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, and attended by the following representatives from the MEA Secretariats:

• Ms. Elizabeth Mrema, Acting Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
• Ms. Rossana Silva-Repetto, Executive Secretary, Minamata Convention on Mercury
• Mr. Franck Moser, Programme Officer, Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam, Stockholm (via video)

Mr. Basile van Havre, co-chair of the Open-ended Intersessional Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework also participated in the panel discussion. Other participants included various GEF Council Members and country representatives, as well as representatives from the GEF Secretariat and GEF Agencies.

The event discussed the “2020 super year”, where institutions stand and what can be done to deliver on its promises. It highlighted the challenges and opportunities of creating a coherent political momentum across MEAs to spur unprecedented collective action to address the climate, biodiversity and sustainable development crises. Stressing that 2020 was an opportunity for all international environmental regimes, it explored ways to improve collaboration and enhance synergies across conventions and to deliver on a new deal for nature and people.

- Agenda of the MEAs Meeting

- Summary Report

- Presentation by Basile Van Havre, OEWG Co-chair

- Presentation on the 2020 Super Year