Summary
On the third and final day of the 53rd meeting of the GEF Council, Council members concluded their discussion on the “Updated Vision to Enhance Civil Society Engagement with the GEF” and decided to leave the responsibility of selecting sponsored CSO representatives with the Secretariat rather than using a third party.
Members also convened the 23rd meeting of the LDCF/SCCF Council, with Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, acting as Chairperson of the LDCF/SCCF Council, recalling recent announcements of contributions to the funds. Council members discussed predictability of the Funds and reaffirmed contributions made at COP23 from: Germany (€50 million); Belgium (€7 million); Sweden (SEK185 million); Switzerland (CHF1.89 million to the LDCF and CHF500,000 to the SCCF); and the Walloon region of Belgium (€3.25 million). Contributions to the Adaptation Fund were also acknowledged.
On an agenda item on the “Strategic Alignment of the LDCF Pipeline,” Council members considered an information document that presents factors and options for the strategic and innovative use of resources of LDCF and SCCF and provides an update on the current status of the pipeline. The Secretariat indicated it will develop a new Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and requested informal consultations with members, CSOs, the private sector, and key stakeholders on items addressed in the note and in moving forward.
At the end of the Thursday morning session, Council members adopted both the Joint Summaries of the Chairs for the 53rd meeting of the GEF Council and the 23rd meeting of the LDCF/SCCF Council. Ishii congratulated Council members for their contributions and collaboration and noted that the unexpected challenges of the meeting proved the Council has built sufficient trust to tackle difficult issues. Ishii closed the meeting at 12:57 pm.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage and a summary report from the GEF Council Consultation Meeting with CSOs, the 53rd GEF Council Meeting, and the 23rd Meeting of the LDCF/SCCF Council. The summary report is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Leila Mead
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Council member Kordula Mehlhart, Germany
GEF CEO and Chairperson Naoko Ishii
Council member Mohamed Yahya Lafdal Chah, Mauritania, and alternate Council member Carola van Rijnsoever, Netherlands
Council member Javad Momeni, Iran, and Council member Laura Bermudez, Colombia
William Ehlers, GEF Secretariat, Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, and Gustavo Fonseca, GEF Secretariat
Maria Dakolias, Lead Counsel, World Bank Legal Vice Presidency, and Council member Stefan Schwager, Switzerland (right)
Council member Jozef Buys, Belgium
Council member Josceline Wheatley, UK
Council Co-Chair Jane Chigiyal, Federated States of Micronesia, and Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson
Council member Munenari Nomura, Japan, and Peter Wisner, US, Chair of the Ad Hoc Council Working Group on the GEF and Civil Society, and Council member
Delegates consulting
Gustavo Fonseca, GEF Secretariat, addressing the Council
Council members Jozef Buys, Belgium, and Javad Momeni, Iran
Julian Wright, UK
Patrizia Cocca, GEF Secretariat
Yibin Xiang, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat
