Country Engagement Strategy

Introduction Seminars occur twice a year, providing an overview of the GEF to new members of the partnership.

Constituency Meetings are held in advance of each GEF Council meeting. They provide a forum for countries within each GEF constituency to coordinate positions to be presented at Council. Chaired by the respective GEF Council Member, they convene Operational and Political Focal Points (OFPs, PFPs) and relevant representatives to solicit official views, build consensus on statements, and ensure representation in Council discussions.

Expanded Constituency Workshops (ECWs) bring the full breadth of the GEF partnership together in every constituency to review progress on GEF programming and policies, introduce new opportunities, exchange information, and strengthen cooperation. ECWs are held throughout the second half of the GEF programming cycle, upon constituency demand. Participants include OFPs, PFPs, Convention Focal Points, Agencies, and representatives from civil society organizations. ECWs are convened and financed by the GEF Secretariat. 

GEF Planning Workshops (GPWs), held in the first year of each replenishment cycle, convene OFPs, PFPs, and CSOs across regions of one or more constituencies, along with GEF Agencies and Secretariat technical and operational staff to discuss programming and policy directions and to plan country and regional investment portfolios. 

Upstream Technical Dialogues provide technical support to OFPs to develop and manage their GEF portfolios. Dialogues may be virtual or in-person and are led by each GEF Regional Coordinator in response to interest from recipient countries, on a continuous basis throughout each replenishment cycle. 

OFP and PFP Capacity Building is held throughout each replenishment cycle and includes a diversity of offerings, from webinars and virtual meetings to in-person trainings, as well as the provision of knowledge products, such as technical briefs, videos, handbooks, and e-learning series.

The OFP Network is a planned virtual community linking OFPs in all recipient countries to provide core GEF information, training resources, portfolio dashboards, and updates related to policies and programming. 

National Steering Committees (NSCs) bring together line ministries in recipient country governments to integrate environmental priorities and investments towards shared development aims and strengthen policy coherence. Representation of civil society, Indigenous Peoples, women, and youth groups is encouraged. NSCs are voluntary and country-led. The GEF Secretariat provides technical support such as NSC Guidelines for committee formation and advisory services on committee convenings. The NSC Community of Practice provides a forum for exchange across committees.

National Dialogues are available to all recipient countries as country-led meetings that convene national stakeholders for participatory planning and programming of GEF investments in each cycle. National Dialogues and NSCs work hand-in-hand to enable inclusive GEF investment planning, aligned with national priorities across stakeholders and sectors. The GEF Secretariat provides National Dialogue Guidelines, limited financial support, and virtual or in-person technical support. Contact your GEF Country Relations Officer and Regional Coordinator (below) to schedule a National Dialogue.

Country Platforms leverage the important work of National Steering Committees to align GEF investments with those of other multilateral and bilateral funders, building policy coherence, investment synergies, and leveraging financing for greater, more durable environmental and development outcomes. Country Platforms are country-led and voluntary. The GEF Secretariat provides technical support, including guidelines, and participates in Country Platforms at the invitation of recipient countries.