Small Island Developing States

Highlights for Tuesday, 11 June 2019 Participants view a slide from the presentation by the Chair of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP), showing the “Shawn the Sheep” slug, which helped frame the discussions on the STAP Chair's presentation on science. 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. 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 For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. A view of the opening session of the 56th meeting of the GEF Council Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson Carola Van Rijnsoever, Council Member, the Netherlands, was elected Co-Chair of the 56th GEF Council Meeting. Council members raise their flags. Comlon Awougnon, Alternate Council Member, Togo Zhongjing Wang, Council Member, China Jozef Buys, Council Member, Belgium Aparna Subramani, Council Member, India Martha Cuba, Council Member, Peru Peter Elder, Council Member, Australia Particpants from the GEF-CSO Network Peter Lallas, GEF Secretariat Françoise Clottes, GEF Secretariat Akhteruzzaman Sano, Interim Chair of GEF-CSO Network Elizabeth Lien, Council Member, US L-R: Praveen Prasad Desabatla and Tapiwa Sikipa, World Bank A view of the plenary session from the dais Rosina Bierbaum, STAP Chair Kordula Melhart, Council Member, Germany Gustavo Fonseca, GEF Secretariat Stefan Schwager, Council Member, Switzerland A view of the presentation on the 2019 work program Lauren Céline Naville Gisnås, Council Member, Norway Dan Bakoye Chaibou, Council Member, Niger L-R: Gustavo Fonseca and Claude Gascon, GEF Secretariat Antonio Micha, Alternate Council Member, Equatorial Guinea Yoshiko Motoyama, Alternate Council Member, Japan L-R: Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, and William Ehlers, GEF Secretariat L-R: Sana Taktak Keskes, Regional Focal Point for North Africa, CSO Network; Akhteruzzaman Sano, Interim Chair, GEF-CSO Network; and Linghui He, Toxics-Free China Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, and Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary, UNCCD, sign a Memorandum of Understanding.

Highlights for Monday, 10 June 2019 L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS); Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, Under-Secretary-General, Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS); Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA); Miguel de Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs; Co-Chair Isabelle Picco, Monaco; Dmitry Gonchar, UNDOALOS; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS The twentieth meeting of the United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (ICP-20) opened on 10 June 2019 at the UN Headquarters in New York, under the theme, “Ocean Science and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.”In the morning, delegates adopted the meeting agenda and programme of work for ICP-20, to be co-chaired by Isabelle Picco (Monaco) and Pennelope Althea Beckles (Trinidad and Tobago). They heard opening remarks from: Miguel de Serpa Soares, UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, who said the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development provides an opportunity to recognize the value of ocean science in eradicating poverty and supporting blue economy; Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) who highlighted the 2020 High-Level UN Conference to Support the Implementation of SDG14 (life below water) as an opportunity to scale up ocean action based on science and innovation; and Fekitamoeloa Katoa 'Utoikamanu, Under-Secretary-General, Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS), who emphasized the important role of traditional knowledge in enhancing the effectiveness of ocean science. During the general exchange of views, delegates highlighted: the importance of addressing data gaps and gender imbalances in ocean science; ensuring long-term partnerships with developing countries; and ensuring science literacy.Delegates then participated in a panel discussion on scope and uses of, and gaps in, ocean science, which included presentations on: the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development; the global status of ocean science; ocean science and human health; deep sea biological processes; and ocean science in support of sustainable fisheries. During the afternoon break, delegates attended a side event on “UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development,” hosted by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC). IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) meeting coverage, provided daily web updates from the 20th Meeting of the UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, has published a summary and analysis report of the meeting, which is available in HTML and PDF. Miguel de Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, Under-Secretary-General, UN-OHRLLS Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General, UNDESA Co-Chair Isabelle Picco, Monaco Fred Sarufa, Papua New Guinea Craig McLean, US Andrea White, Canada Kane Amandus, Nauru Milind Wakdikar, India Panel Discussion on “Scope and Uses of, and Gaps in, Ocean Science” Vladimir Ryabinin, Executive Secretary, Intergovernmental Oceanic Commission of UNESCO (IOC) A slide from Vladimir Ryabinin’s presentation Panelists during the afternoon session John Agard, St. Augustine Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Trinidad and Tobago Hervé Raps, Monaco Scientific Center, Monaco Francisco Werner, NOAA, US Slide from presentation by Francisco Werner, US Silvana Birchenough, Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) John Brincat, EU Delegates from Haiti during discussions in the afternoon Panelists from the side event on “UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.” Delegates at the end of the first day of ICP-20