Photo credit: GEF
Representatives of member governments and other GEF stakeholders gathered October 7-9, 2025, in Kasane, Botswana to review proposed plans for the multilateral trust fund in its ninth funding cycle for the 2026-2030 period.
The Global Environment Facility can be a “source of hope” for international action on threats to nature, and related environmental threats, the head of the multilateral trust fund told its donor and recipient countries as they held their second formal discussions in preparation for the GEF-9 funding cycle.
Addressing representatives of donor and recipient countries, agencies, civil society, and observers from the wider GEF community, CEO and Chairperson Carlos Manuel Rodriguez made the case for a robust ninth replenishment that would help deliver a safer, healthier future for people and the planet.
“In uncertain times, it is extremely important that we’re able to give hope for a brighter future,” said GEF CEO and Chairperson, Carlos Manuel Rodríguez. "The GEF, and this crucial ninth replenishment, can be a source of hope and optimism to help achieve global environmental goals and live in harmony with nature.”
“Building on ongoing reforms to increase efficiency and effectiveness, the replenishment takes place as the GEF further evolves towards a whole of government and whole of society approach,” he said.
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, and growing inter-related threats including climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
Building on the first replenishment meeting held in Paris in May, GEF donors and partners, meeting in hybrid format, held further discussions on the proposed GEF-9 strategic programming directions and policy package, and a draft report by the GEF Independent Evaluation Office on the GEF’s overall performance (OPS8).
The meeting was opened by Phenyo Butale, Minister of International Relations and Acting Minister of Environment and Tourism, Botswana, who highlighted the GEF’s “critical” support in meeting its obligations under the Rio Conventions.
Thanking delegates for their participation, he said, “Your presence here today signals your commitment to ensuring the GEF remains a strong and effective mechanism for financing environmental action across the world — especially in the places and communities that need it most.”
In advance of the meeting, delegates visited Chobe National Park, part of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA). As the largest land-based transboundary conservation area in the world, KAZA is among ecosystems that are vital to biodiversity, tourism, and regional stability. GEF-funded projects across the region have helped to improve the ways protected areas are managed and financed.
The replenishment meeting was co-hosted 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 third official replenishment meeting is planned for January 2026, and a pledging meeting is expected to take place next April. A final decision about the size and ambition of the GEF-9 funding envelope is expected to be taken by June 2026.
