The pressures on the global environment are relentless, outpacing efforts to counteract them. And the stakes could not be higher. The fight for the global environment is a fight for nature and people. People everywhere depend on the health and vibrancy of Earth systems. The sustainable development goals of countries cannot be achieved unless the resource base on which they depend is maintained.
In the face of this harsh reality, the GEF Partnership recently agreed to a new direction in its work to achieve greater results and help to meet this rising challenge. This agreement is set out in the Summary of the Negotiations of the Seventh Replenishment of the GEF. In combination with its traditional investments under the Conventions, the GEF is:
- Strategically focusing its investments to catalyze transformational change in key systems that are driving major environmental loss, in particular energy, cities and food;
- Prioritizing integrated projects and programs that address more than one global environmental problem at a time, building on the GEF’s unique position and mandate to act on a wide range of global environmental issues; and
- Implementing new strategies and policies to enhance results, including stronger engagement with the private sector, indigenous peoples, and civil society, and an increased focus on gender equality.
This publication tells the story of this new direction in the GEF Partnership. The aim is clear—to go beyond business as usual and turn the tide of global environmental loss.