Delegates Push for Greater Accountability, Community Inclusion as GEF Crosses Major Environmental Milestones

While the Global Environment Facility (GEF) said its eighth replenishment cycle (GEF-8) was about to exceed environmental targets for biodiversity protection, marine conservation, ecosystem restoration, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, governments and civil society groups called for stronger safeguards to ensure that local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and smaller implementing agencies are not left behind as funding mechanisms become more complex.

Africa’s Water is its Future. Who will Govern it?

Africa holds 9 per cent of global renewable freshwater, over 600 gigawatts of untapped hydropower potential, and between 60 and 65 per cent of the world's uncultivated arable land.

GEF Council Welcomes New Green Pledges, Highlights Old Access Barriers

The 71st Council meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) opened today amid a sharp divide, with donor nations urging broader and increased funding commitments, while developing countries called for more equitable and accessible pathways to environmental finance.

“The Heat Is No Longer Distant: A Global Climate Reckoning“

‘As record heat sweeps the world, the climate crisis is no longer a warning for the future, but a reality of the present.’

India’s LED Story Highlights How Blended Finance Powers Environmental Action

Ahead of the Eighth Global Environment Facility (GEF) Assembly in Samarkand, governments and development institutions are grappling with a familiar challenge: How to finance environmental action at the scale required to meet rapidly growing needs.

How Europe’s Waste Could Supply Over Half of Critical Material Demand – Report

Europe’s growing mountain of waste could become one of its most important sources of critical raw materials, according to a major new report that warns of rising geopolitical risks and growing global competition for minerals needed in the green and digital economy.

Connecting the Dots: Quality Seed, Resilient Food Systems and Good Health

It is often said that the quality of seed determines the quality of the produce and, consequently, the sustainability of the entire agricultural value chain, influencing everything from crop yields to nutritional value.

From Seed to Canopy: How a GEF-Funded Smallholder Project is Restoring the Environment, Building Livelihoods

As 52-year-old Alice Onyango walks through her farm in Siaya county, Kenya, you can tell she is proud of her trees, as some tower over her, providing her with shade, while others seem ready to provide her with fruit for the market.

Developing Countries Feel Squeeze from Lower Natural Resource Revenue & Falling Foreign Aid

Developing countries face major difficulties as income from natural resource extraction industries decreases and wealthier nations reduce their aid.

Scarcity of Treatment Makes Syrians More Vulnerable to Mental Health Crisis

The protracted years of conflict in Syria have inflicted profound scars that transcend physical destruction, permeating the psychological well-being of millions.

Brazil’s Indigenous Communities Receive $9M in GEF Funding to Protect Lands, Traditions Under Threat

On Brazil’s northeastern coast, the Indigenous community, Tremembé da Barra do Mundaú, lives on a preserved stretch of land shaped by mangroves, dunes, and deserted beaches. The group of around 160 families is led by women and depends on the 3,500-hectare territory for fishing and subsistence farming.

UN General Assembly Votes for Resolution on ICJ Advisory Ruling on Climate Obligations

Member states this week (May 20) deliberated over a draft resolution on states’ obligations in respect of climate change following the advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The General Assembly agreed to take measures to uphold the ICJ’s advisory opinion for member states to meet their existing obligations to climate justice under international law and multilateral frameworks.

Countries Unevenly Impacted by Global Economic Shocks from Mideast Conflict

The ongoing crisis in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz continue to put immense stress and risk on the global economy.

The 3Ds for a Credible Post-2030 Development Agenda

Just four years of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development remain. What comes after 2030 is already a political battleground.

The UN Vote that Could Reshape Climate Justice

Normally, resolutions voted at the United Nations General Assembly do not make the headlines. As nonbinding and mostly symbolic, rich in principles yet empty and lacking the power to carry consequences, these statements are shrugged off and ignored.

India: Climate Diplomacy Questioned After COP33 Hosting Withdrawal

India has withdrawn its bid to host the 2028 United Nations climate summit, a move that indicates a recalibration of its global climate engagement even as it projects itself as a leader in renewable energy and climate action.

‘Do More With Less’: GEF CEO Claude Gascon on Speed, Scale and Reform

As governments prepare for the Eighth Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) – scheduled to be held from May 30 to June 6 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan – the stakes are unusually high.

UN Weather Agency Warns of Escalating Climate Extremes Across Caribbean and Latin America

Faster-than-average sea level rise, intensifying hurricanes, extreme heat and worsening swings between drought and flooding are increasing pressure on Latin America and the Caribbean, according to a new report released Monday, May 18 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Breaking Cultural Barriers to Equip Marginalised Kenyan Girls With Entrepreneurial Skills

For generations, communities in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) have viewed girls through the lens of marriage, with some being married at 11 in exchange for livestock or soon after secondary school, denying them opportunity for further education and skills training.

Africa’s Golden Future

It is very appropriate that this Africa Forward Summit is being held in Kenya. Two weeks ago, a Kenyan marathon runner, Sabastian Sawe, did what had been considered impossible: by running a marathon in under two hours! What we have set ourselves here is also a marathon—and we must show the same resilience and perseverance that Mr. Sawe did.

Building Resilient Food Systems in an Age of Disruption

The latest shock to global food systems, triggered by conflict in the Middle East and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, has once again exposed a fragile truth: the world’s food systems remain highly vulnerable to external shocks.