Summary
On Tuesday, 28 November 2017, Naoko Ishii, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), opened the 53rd meeting of the GEF Council, asking members to focus this meeting on: lessons learned from integrated and more complex approaches; private sector engagement; policy work related to gender, stakeholder engagement, safeguards, fiduciary standards, and knowledge management; the institutional framework related to transparency and civil society; and the Work Program. Highlighting ecosystems and natural resources as solution providers, she cited successful project examples that change the narrative from “victim of climate change to stewardship of nature as a solution.”
Jane Chigiyal, Federated States of Micronesia (Council member for Cook Islands, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu) was elected Co-Chair for the 53rd meeting of the GEF Council.
The Council proceeded to adopt the Policy on Gender Equality, which will come into effect on 1 July 2018, and will be applied to all new GEF-financed activities submitted on or after the effective date. The Council also adopted a new Policy on Stakeholder Engagement, for which guidelines will be developed through a consultative process that will seek to harmonize existing best practices.
Following a brief update on the organization of the 6th GEF Assembly, the Council agreed that the Assembly would convene in Da Nang, Viet Nam, from 27-28 June 2018, with the 54th meeting of the GEF Council convening from 24-26 June, along with a CSO Forum on 26 June and side events.
Additional agenda items discussed on Tuesday were the Report of the Chairperson of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel, the Updated Vision to Enhance Civil Society Engagement with the GEF, and the Semi-Annual Evaluation Report November 2017 and Management Response + OPS6 Presentation.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage and a summary report from the GEF Council Consultation Meeting with CSOs, the 53rd GEF Council Meeting, and the 23rd Meeting of the LDCF/SCCF Council. The summary report is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Leila Mead
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A view of the room during the session
William Ehlers, GEF Secretariat, Council Co-Chair Jane Chigiyal, Federated States of Micronesia, and Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson
Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson
Council member Stefan Schwager, Switzerland
Council member Lauren Naville Gisnas, Norway
Jane Chigiyal, Council Co-Chair (Federated States of Micronesia), and Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson
Council member Peter Elder, Australia
Rosina Bierbaum, Chair, Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP)
Council member Louis Ebobola Tsibah, Gabon, and Council member Marcia Levaggi, Argentina
Jane Chigiyal, Council Co-Chair (Federated States of Micronesia), and Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson
A photo of a seahorse swimming with a discarded cotton swab to illustrate the problem of plastics and pollution in the ocean during the presentation of the STAP Chair
Zaheer Fakir, South Africa
Francoise Clottes, GEF Secretariat
Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, and William Ehlers, GEF Secretariat, consult with Council member Stefan Schwager, Switzerland, Peter Wisner, Ad Hoc Council Working Group Chair on the GEF and Civil Society, and Council member Aparna Subramani, India
Members of the GEF Secretariat consulting
Council member Josceline Wheatley, UK
Fiu Elisara, RFP for the Pacific, GEF-CSO Network
Peter Wisner, Chair of the Ad Hoc Council Working Group on the GEF and Civil Society
Council participants during the discussions
Juha Uitto, GEF Independent Evaluation Office, Jane Chigiyal, Council Co-Chair, Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, and Francoise Clottes, GEF Secretariat
Alternate Council member Javad Momeni Iran, speaks with William Ehlers, GEF Secretariat
CSO members
Viacheslav Tsuprykov from 'Save the Bees, Save the World' in Ukraine gives out samples of high-grade honey which is said to contribute to the prevention of premature aging due to radiation and enhances natural immunity.
Viacheslav Tsuprykov gives out honey samples
Claudia ten Have, Minamata Convention Secretariat
