The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has announced the approval of more than $372 million in new funding to implement 36 innovative programs and projects aimed at addressing urgent environmental challenges across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
These projects span the GEF Trust Fund, the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), and the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF).
The new initiatives approved at the funds’ Council meetings are designed to protect and manage hundreds of millions of hectares of critical ecosystems, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, and empower civil society and Indigenous Peoples to deliver sustainable, inclusive environmental solutions. The funding package allocates $291 million from the GEF Trust Fund, $49 million from the LDCF, $3 million from the SCCF, and $29 million from the GBFF.
These investments will support integrated responses to biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution, with a special focus on illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; protection and sustainable management of marine habitats; reduction of mercury and persistent organic pollutants; and the advancement of regenerative agriculture and landscape restoration. The initiatives will also foster policy coherence and integrated planning across government, promoting improved environmental outcomes.
The projects approved since July 2022 are expected to mobilize $8.50 in co-finance for every GEF dollar overall, including $8.1 billion from private sources. Blended finance operations are set to achieve a 19-to-1 co-financing ratio, highlighting the catalytic role of GEF grant resources in mobilizing public and private capital at scale.
The Council meetings this week emphasized the central role of civil society organizations and Indigenous Peoples and local communities in shaping initiatives and delivering results on the ground, particularly through GBFF programming that incorporates community stewardship, sustainable livelihoods, and rights-based approaches. Projects funded by the LDCF and SCCF showcase how ecosystem restoration, inclusive governance, and community empowerment can build resilience in highly vulnerable Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.
The GEF Council also announced the departure of GEF Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson Carlos Manuel Rodríguez following his notification that he will step down from GEF leadership effective immediately. The GEF Council has appointed Claude Gascon, GEF Director of Strategy and Operations as interim CEO.
During the LDCF/SCCF Council, contributors announced new pledges totaling nearly $39 million in additional support for the funds, reflecting continued donor confidence in the GEF’s adaptation financing. Contributions from Belgium (EUR 5.95 million), Germany (EUR 10 million), Ireland (EUR 5 million), and Sweden (SEK 130 million) will help scale country-driven resilience solutions in the world’s most vulnerable countries.
Representatives of the GEF’s 186 member countries reviewed progress toward 2022-2026 targets, focusing on delivery, efficiency, and inclusive partnerships. According to the latest Monitoring Report, in the past four years, the GEF has cumulatively:
*Mitigated over one billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions – equivalent to taking about 217 million cars off the road for a year.
*Supported conservation and sustainable management of 118 million hectares of protected areas on land, an area twice the size of Kenya.
*Placed 15 million hectares of land and ecosystems under restoration and brought 44 million hectares of production landscapes under sustainable land management.
*Eliminated 60,000 tonnes of chemicals of global concern that pose a major risk to human health.
“The progress made towards achieving our targets reflects an unprecedented record of delivery, scale, and ambition,” said Claude Gascon, GEF Director of Strategy and Operations. “The GEF’s demonstrated efficiency, effectiveness and ambitious modernization efforts position us to be the preferred vehicle to scale up funding and impact.”
Looking ahead to the next funding cycle (GEF-9), set to begin in July 2026, the meeting highlighted proposals aimed at making the process even more streamlined and effective. The efforts are part of a larger push to boost efficiency, fairness, flexibility, and accessibility throughout the GEF partnership.
These initiatives are currently under discussion among donor countries and partners as part of the ongoing GEF replenishment negotiations for GEF-9. The current four-year cycle (GEF-8) totaling $5.3 billion for grants and blended finance ends in June 2026. The next round of negotiations will take place January 19-20 in Bonn, Germany.
The process will culminate at the Eighth GEF Assembly in Uzbekistan in June 2026, where stakeholders will take stock of progress and set the direction to 2030. The Assembly will showcase how the new funding will accelerate progress on biodiversity conservation, land restoration, reduction of chemical pollution, and climate resilience by transforming key economic systems to achieve sustainable and lasting results at scale.
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is the world’s largest multilateral fund for the environment. Its family of funds work together to address the planet’s most pressing challenges in an integrated way. Its financing helps developing countries address complex challenges and work towards meeting international environmental goals. Over the past three decades, the GEF has provided more than $27 billion in financing, primarily as grants, and mobilized another $155 billion for country-driven priority projects.
The LDCF is the only global fund dedicated to helping Least Developed Countries adapt to climate change. It supports locally led solutions across agriculture, water, health, infrastructure, and more – strengthening systems, scaling finance, and building resilience where it’s needed most. The LDCF has delivered more than $2.39 billion in grants to date – supporting the transition from incremental to transformational adaptation across 51 countries.
The SCCF drives innovation in climate adaptation across the developing world, with a focus on Small Island Developing States. From nature-based solutions to climate-smart agriculture and innovative financial mechanisms, the SCCF helps test new ideas, engage the private sector, and scale impact. To date, it has supported projects in more than 60 countries, benefiting over 10.7 million people
The Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) was established by the GEF at the request of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP15 to support implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Launched at the Seventh GEF Assembly in 2023, the GBFF can receive contributions from public, private, and philanthropic sources. It has streamlined procedures to provide efficient and impactful support for developing countries towards biodiversity goals, with a target of having 20 percent of its funding to support biodiversity action led by Indigenous Peoples and local communities. To date, it has supported projects in 71 countries.