GEF 53rd Council Meeting
GEF 53rd Council Meeting

The 53rd Council meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) opened today in Washington, DC.

For the next three days the GEF Council will discuss a wide range of issues including new policies on gender, access to information and stakeholder engagement, as well as the final work program of GEF-6.

Opening the meeting, Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, reflected on recent GEF activities, progress made in GEF-6, as well as the challenges ahead.

Ishii highlighted five areas for the Council’s attention, “implementation of an integrated approach” to tackle environmental issues, GEF’s “work with the private sector”, “new policies on gender and stakeholder engagement”, a discussion on institutional frameworks “such as transparency and our relationship with CSOs”, and “the last major work program of GEF-6.”

Noting how “trust among the GEF partnership” has strengthened over the last year and during GEF-6, Ishii stressed the importance of collaboration and coordination as “the best way to serve countries.”

In advance of the formal opening of the 53rd Council, the GEF held a day-long consultation with Civil Society Organisations. Sessions included a dialogue with the GEF CEO, an update on the seventh replenishment process (GEF-7), and a discussion on the updated vision to enhance civil society engagement with the GEF.

Also on November 27, a dialogue was held between the multilateral environmental agreement (MEA) secretariats and the GEF.

The GEF is increasingly switching the focus of its operations to address the underlying negative drivers of environmental degradation – rather than merely its effects – and to support innovative and scalable activities that cost-effectively deliver the highest impacts.

Two new films, released by the GEF on the eve of the 53rd Council, show how the GEF is starting to address complex challenges like sustainable cities and sustainable land management in an integrated manner.

H.E. Mrs. Jane Chigiyal, Ambassador and Permanent Representative at the Permanent Mission of Micronesia to the United Nations was elected as co-chair of the 53rd meeting of the GEF Council that will run from November 28-30, 2017.

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