Photo credit: Lizzy Geble
The Global Environment Facility’s member countries are approaching broad consensus about the size and scope of its financial support over the next four years.
Meeting in Bonn, Germany, representatives of the multilateral fund’s donor governments found significant common ground on proposed programming and policy priorities for the ninth replenishment cycle (GEF-9), which covers the period from July 2026 to June 2030.
They expressed support for the GEF’s efforts to help Least Developed Countries, Small Island Developing States, and other recipient countries meet their international environmental commitments, while increasing collaboration with the private sector and capital markets to address financing gaps for nature protection.
The meeting was opened by Reem Alabali Radovan, Germany’s Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development who stressed the need for stable core funding, a focus on the poorest countries, and more private finance, for the GEF in the future. “Germany is proud to be one of the strongest supporters of the GEF. We are convinced that investing in GEF is worth every cent,” she said.
Interim GEF CEO and Chairperson, Claude Gascon welcomed the positive signals of support from donors for an ambitious approach to address the world’s environmental challenges in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples and local communities, civil society organizations, the private sector, and other financiers.
“There is growing momentum for a robust and ambitious GEF replenishment, underscoring a strong commitment to supporting the most vulnerable countries and addressing critical threats to nature,” Gascon said.
“The global environmental crisis is intensifying, and geopolitical challenges are having very real impacts on international aid budgets and multilateralism,” Gascon continued. “Faced with these challenges, I’m encouraged by the spirit of collaboration and compromise that has defined our collective efforts in Bonn toward a strong, and necessary GEF-9 replenishment. The planet deserves no less. Future generations deserve no less.”
The replenishment meeting was co-chaired by the World Bank, which is one of the GEF’s 18 partner agencies as well as its trustee, with responsibility for the mobilization of resources for the trust fund every four years.
The trust fund’s final GEF-9 replenishment meeting, including a pledging session, is scheduled for April 9, 2026.
In addition to donors, the January 19-20, 2026, meetings brought together representatives of recipient governments, international conventions, and implementing agencies, which create project proposals and manage them on the ground alongside government and civil society partners.
The GEF-9 investment period, which will span from July 2026 to June 2030, aligns with a crucial time for the world to make progress toward 2030 environmental goals.