Summary
Highlights for Wednesday, 12 June 2019
On Wednesday, 12 June, Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council Members considered a report by the GEF Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) on its semi-annual evaluation of the GEF, which includes an annual performance report for 2019 with a special focus on sustainable transport, a “value-for-money” analysis of GEF interventions in support of sustainable forest management, and an evaluation of GEF support to scaling up impacts. On sustainable transport project evaluation, Council Members expressed concern about lower-than-expected greenhouse gas emissions reductions in projects. Following procedural discussions on the GEF’s support to scaling up impacts, Members endorsed a recommendation that the GEF partnership ensure that factors influencing scaling up are identified and taken into account in program and project design and implementation, and that their impact be assessed in mid-term and terminal evaluations.Council Members heard updates by representatives of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury and the GEF Council. The President of the upcoming Fifth International Conference on Chemicals Management also addressed the Council on the process to define a post-2020 global framework for the sound management of chemicals and waste. In addition, Council Members heard a GEF Secretariat proposal laying out a procedure for informing the Council of possible non-compliance with environmental and social safeguards. While Council Members welcomed the proposal, many said it “did not go far enough,” and proposed amendments requiring that Agencies report promptly to the GEF Secretariat any cases involving GEF-financed projects or programs that might be inconsistent with the minimum standards of the GEF’s Environmental and Social Safeguards Policy, and that the Secretariat report to the Council annually on such cases. The amendments were incorporated into the decision adopted by Council.Council Members were informed on the status of GEF Agencies’ compliance with minimum requirements on anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML-CFT), and heard an update from the Inter-American Development Bank on its recent adoption of an AML-CFT framework.Council Members also: considered updates to the GEF Evaluation Policy that reflect new issues for measurement and clarify requirements for evaluation across the GEF partnership; and adopted the IEO’s work program for GEF-7, including the preparations for the seventh Comprehensive Evaluation of the GEF, as well as the fiscal year 2020 budget of the IEO, amounting to USD 6.22 million.Finally, Council Members reviewed and adopted the policy on monitoring as revised by the Secretariat pursuant to Tuesday’s discussion to lay out Operational Focal Points’ roles and responsibilities more explicitly. Members also adopted a decision on further work on the sustainability of GEF Projects and Programs and a decision aiming to enhance transparency in the selection of lead Agencies and recipient countries in the Impact Programs.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage, video coverage, and a summary report from the GEF Council Consultation Meeting with CSOs, 56th GEF Council Meeting, and 26th Meeting of the LDCF/SCCF Council. The summary report is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon
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Snapshots from the Venue
