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.

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Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson

Orsalia Kalantzopoulos, CEO, Europe Re Ltd, presents on climate risk insurance efforts in southeastern Europe.

Stefan Schwager, Council Member, Switzerland

Stephanie Bouziges-Eschmann, Alternate Council Member, France

Sydah Naigaga, Regional Focal Point, Eastern Africa, GEF-CSO Network

Marjolein Geusebroek, Advisor, the Netherlands

Jozef Buys, Council Member, Belgium

Kordula Mehlhart, Council Member, Germany

Peter Elder, Council Member, Australia

Ludovica Soderini, Advisor, Italy

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.

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Juho Uitto, Director, IEO, GEF

Geeta Batra, IEO

Anar Mamdani, Council Member, Canada

Karina Ramirez Arras, Council Member, Mexico

Akhteruzzaman Sano, Interim Chair, GEF-CSO Network

Marita Olson, Council Member, Sweden

Jan Petter Borring, Advisor, Norway

Rachna Ramsurn, Council Member, Mauritius

Highlights for Tuesday, 11 June 2019

Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, opened the 56th meeting of the GEF Council, highlighting that the GEF’s 2020 strategy has shifted focus from treating the symptoms of environmental degradation to addressing its causes and drivers.

The GEF Secretariat presented the work program, the largest ever proposed, amounting to USD 865.9 million in projects and programs, including four Impact Programs covering food systems and land use, Amazon forests, Congo basin forests, and dryland landscapes. After seeking a number of clarifications and offering comments about specific elements and projects, the Council approved the work program, which will benefit 91 recipient countries, including 30 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and 32 small island developing States (SIDS). It was agreed that a request from many Members for greater transparency regarding the selection of lead agencies and project countries for Impact Programs would be dealt with in a separate decision on Wednesday.

Council Members heard a report from the STAP Chair, highlighting, inter alia, recent scientific reports, including the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Global Assessment of the State of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and the UN Environment Programme Sixth Global Environmental Outlook, and what they mean for the GEF, criteria for GEF Impact Programs, and ways to achieve more enduring outcomes from GEF investments. In ensuing discussion, numerous interventions focused on definitions of durability versus sustainability and on how to incorporate STAP’s recent work, particularly on climate risk screening, into project design under the new work program. Delegates also discussed further work on the sustainability of GEF projects and programs.

Council Members considered a draft updated monitoring policy, focusing on: the need to align now-separate monitoring and evaluation policies; the respective roles of Operational Focal Points and recipient countries; “achieved” versus “expected” results; deadlines for starting to use the new policy and related templates and guidelines; activities to be covered by the new policy; and civil society organization (CSO) involvement.

Delegates further considered a report on the Working Group on the GEF Partnership. They agreed that further work is needed on implementation modalities associated with the concentration of GEF resources across Agencies and the previously-agreed 30% ceiling on the GEF’s share of Agencies’ portfolios, and requested that the Working Group present recommendations to the Council at a future date.

Finally, Council Members took note of the GEF business plan, and approved the corporate budget for the fiscal year 2020 from the GEF Trust Fund of USD 29.273 million.

In the afternoon, Ishii and Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary, UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation between the GEF and UNCCD.

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Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson

Carola Van Rijnsoever, Council Member, the Netherlands, was elected Co-Chair of the 56th GEF Council Meeting.

Comlon Awougnon, Alternate Council Member, Togo

Zhongjing Wang, Council Member, China

Jozef Buys, Council Member, Belgium

Aparna Subramani, Council Member, India

Rosina Bierbaum, STAP Chair

Kordula Melhart, Council Member, Germany

Gustavo Fonseca, GEF Secretariat

Stefan Schwager, Council Member, Switzerland

Highlights for Monday, 10 June 2019

GEF Council Consultation Meeting with CSOs

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council Consultation with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) took place on 10 June 2019, at World Bank Headquarters in Washington, DC, US. Participants discussed, among other agenda items, a proposed new paradigm of GEF-CSO partnership as an effective tool for more meaningful engagement of civil society and community-based organizations within the GEF architecture, and practical experiences and lessons learned regarding the production, consumption and waste management of plastics.

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CSO Dialogue with GEF CEO

During the morning CSO Dialogue with GEF CEO Naoko Ishii, Akhteruzzaman Sano, Interim Chair, GEF-CSO Network, called for creation of a CSO-government dialogue platform within the GEF. CEO Ishii noted growing global attention, including from the GEF, to biodiversity loss and the need for a systematic response to key drivers, proposing a multi-stakeholder coalition. During discussion, participants stressed: life cycle solutions to address plastics production; post-project resilience; funding to address plastic contamination in all areas at all levels, scaling from local action to legislative change; and communities’ vulnerability to corporations’ environmental damage.

Lalit Mohan, Convener, GEF-CSO Network Secretariat

Akhteruzzaman Sano, Interim Chair of GEF-CSO Network

Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson

Pilar Barrera Rey, GEF Secretariat

Gado Bemah, Science et Technologie Africaines pour un Développement Durable (STADD), Togo

Maria Leichner, Fundación ECOS, Uruguay

Saint-Jérôme Sitamon, Maison de l'Enfant et de la Femme Pygmées, Central African Republic

Nguavese Tracy Ogbonna, Women Environmental Programme, Nigeria

Civil Society Contributions to Higher Results and Impact

Moderator Sydah Naigaga, Regional Focal Point, West Africa, CSO Network, emphasized CSOs’ many roles and their challenges with funding and capacity. Kathryn Stoddard, Earth Day Network, presented the proposed paradigm for GEF-CSO partnership. She praised the GEF's willingness to move towards more systemic multi-stakeholder engagement as a step "in the right direction. Ariuntuya Dorjsuren, Council Member for Mongolia, reviewed discussions on national CSO-government dialogue at a recent national-level GEF extended constituencies workshop.

Yoko Watanabe, Global Manager, GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP), highlighted the SGP’s commitment to “Three Is” (innovation, inclusion and impact) and Saint Lucia’s work on a solar-powered desalinator and sargassum bio-fertilizer.

Laura Bermudez, Operational Focal Point, Colombia, reported on her country’s community-led initiatives on biodiversity conservation, agrobiodiversity and climate change adaptation, highlighting partnerships with government and private stakeholders across value chains.

Juha Uitto, Director, Independent Evaluation Office, addressed the CSO Network’s added value for increasing benefits after projects end. He stressed evaluation of efforts to scale up, encouraging CSOs to show proof of concept and enter the policy dialogue.

Ensuing discussion focused on, inter alia: influence of political contexts on success; evaluation beyond projects’ lifetimes; attribution of results to the GEF through counterfactuals; linking CSO efforts across countries; and intellectual property protection.

Participants also discussed proposed themes for CSO consultations with the GEF Council during 2020, including: chemicals; land degradation; project resilience; knowledge management; and the economics of gender mainstreaming for development.

Yoko Watanabe, Global Manager, GEF SGP

Laura Bermudez, Operational Focal Point (OFP), Colombia

Plastic Pollution: How Do We Tame This Menace? Solutions from CSOs, Government, and the Private Sector

In the afternoon, participants attended a panel session on plastic pollution that sought to identify solutions from CSOs, government, and the private sector.

The session began with a video on the GEF’s work in this area. The Secretariat then introduced stage-setting presentations. Claude Gascon, GEF, spoke on the GEF’s goal to avoid 50,000 tons of plastic going into the ocean. Lauren Céline Naville Gisnås, Council Member, Norway, discussed Norway’s push for an international agreement, including financial support, to combat plastics pollution. Emily Woglom, Ocean Conservancy, highlighted the wide-ranging impacts of marine plastic pollution and called for moving to a global circular economy. Froilan Grate, Executive Director, GAIA Philippines, reported on community efforts in Asia to shift to zero waste.

Aminath Abdulla, Maldives Authentic Craft Cooperative Society, discussed efforts to reduce single-use plastics and persuade the Maldives government to ban certain plastics. Coletha Ruhamya, GEF Council member, Rwanda, discussed Rwanda’s plastic bag ban and move to ban other single-use plastics, stressing the role civil society can play in changing mindsets to affect the demand for plastics. Jennifer Ragland, Coca-Cola, summarized the company’s “World Without Waste” initiative. Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, explained how a recent amendment to the Basel Convention’s Annexes will change plastics trade. Other interventions from the floor highlighted the work of the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance and the Global Plastic Action Partnership, and invited CSOs to participate.

During ensuing discussion, participants focused on: awareness raising to achieve policy implementation; CSO engagement with the World Economic Forum; CSO-government collaboration to systematize waste flows and build traceability and circularity; skyscrapers for agriculture; and the need to use recycled materials, not simply recycle waste.

Participants then discussed concrete CSO, private sector, and government experiences in break-out groups on the three phases of the plastics lifecycle: production; consumption; and waste management.

Reports from the group discussions noted, inter alia: the variety of civil society roles; the need for criteria for redesigning plastics; the fact that consumers are demanding change; plastics as a health issue; the need for “sexy” alternatives to “unsexy” plastic products; civil society’s role in monitoring waste leakage; the different country contexts regarding plastics; and the benefits of partnerships between actors with different comparative advantages.

A panel on financing, moderated by Anar Mamdani, Council member, Canada, focused on private investment opportunities to address plastic pollution, and discussed perspectives from Multilateral Development Banks and other funders.

Rob Kaplan, CEO, Circular Capital, said his firm incubates startups and promotes blended finance in Asia on waste management and recycling. Dorothee Herr, IUCN, discussed efforts to develop bankable recycling projects on climate change and blue economy, underscoring the need for governments to create a proper enabling environment. Arun Abraham, Asian Development Bank (ADB), said ADB is looking to invest in integrated solid waste management incorporating circular economy principles, emphasize policy-based lending, and support market transformation in the plastics chain. Delphine Arri, World Bank, said the Bank is advising governments on policy reforms and developing partnerships involving plastics. David Antoniolli, CEO, Verra, discussed the Reduce Recover Recycle Initiative partnership with major companies to develop a corporate reporting standard to credibly measure and report a company’s plastic footprint in order to create an incentive to reduce it.

The ensuing discussion focused on: expanding project piloting from Asia to Africa and elsewhere; getting accurate data on sources and pathways to establish baselines; financing for plastic waste management; diverting plastic, metal, and organic waste from landfills into energy and other uses; and the possibility for Africa to leapfrog waste management to waste reduction.

GEF and GEF-CSO Network representatives delivered closing remarks, emphasizing the need to achieve a circular economy through actions ranging from grassroots community efforts to global agreements and calling for a “dynamic approach.”

Breakout group on consumption

Breakout group on production