GEF approves over $372 million for new environmental projects across four continents

New Delhi / Washington: The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has approved more than $372 million in fresh funding for 36 new programs and projects aimed at tackling some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

The funding was cleared at recent Council meetings covering the GEF Trust Fund, the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), and the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF).

Together, the projects are expected to protect and sustainably manage hundreds of millions of hectares of critical ecosystems, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthen community-led environmental action.

Of the total allocation, $291 million has been committed from the GEF Trust Fund, $49 million from the LDCF, $3 million from the SCCF, and $29 million from the GBFF.

The initiatives focus on integrated solutions to biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution, with priority areas including combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, conserving marine habitats, reducing mercury and persistent organic pollutants, and promoting regenerative agriculture and landscape restoration.

In a statement the GEF said the newly approved projects will also support policy coherence and integrated planning across governments, improving long-term environmental outcomes while aligning national development goals with global environmental commitments.

Since July 2022, GEF-supported projects have demonstrated strong catalytic impact, mobilizing an average of $8.50 in co-financing for every dollar invested by the GEF, including $8.1 billion from private sources.

Blended finance operations are projected to achieve a 19:1 co-financing ratio, underlining the role of GEF grants in unlocking large-scale public and private investment.

A key theme of the Council meetings was the central role of civil society organizations, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities in designing and implementing projects.

GBFF-funded initiatives, in particular, emphasize community stewardship, sustainable livelihoods, and rights-based approaches.

Meanwhile, projects under the LDCF and SCCF highlight how ecosystem restoration, inclusive governance, and community empowerment can build climate resilience in Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.

In a major leadership development, the GEF Council also announced that Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the GEF, has stepped down from his position with immediate effect. Claude Gascon, GEF Director of Strategy and Operations, has been appointed interim CEO.

The LDCF/SCCF Council meetings also saw renewed donor support, with contributors pledging nearly $39 million in additional adaptation finance.

New commitments from Belgium, Germany, Ireland, and Sweden are expected to help scale country-driven resilience and adaptation solutions in some of the world’s most vulnerable nations.

The GEF said the latest approvals reaffirm its role as a key global platform for financing integrated environmental solutions at scale, while ensuring that communities most affected by environmental degradation and climate change remain at the heart of action.