Highlights and images for 2 June 2026

The vulnerabilities arising from systemic socio-economic development constraints, climate change, and biodiversity loss were at the center of deliberations by three Councils of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) on Tuesday. Meeting to review progress and decide on future work for a host of funds that endeavor to support those facing these vulnerabilities, members ploughed through dense agendas.

Want to dig deeper into today's talks? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.

The 40th Council meetings of the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) dominated discussions in the morning, following the conclusion of the 71st meeting of the GEF Council. The Council of the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) initiated its sixth meeting in the afternoon. 

The GEF Council addressed all remaining items on its agenda, deciding to:

• invite a round of comments by members on a draft memorandum of understanding between the GEF Council and the Conference of the Parties to the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity in Areas beyond National Jurisdiction;
• set the dates and format of the 72nd, 73rd, and 74th Council meetings; 
• extend the tenure of Richard Bontjer (Australia) as Co-Chair until the 72nd meeting; and
• appoint Edward Carr as interim Chair of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) for one year and extend the current panel membership for the interim period.

Opening the deliberations of the 40th LDCF/SCCF Council meeting, Claude Gascon, Interim GEF CEO and Chairperson, stressed that the funds deliver adaptation support where climate impact is most severe and the need for practical action greatest.

Council Co-Chair Bontjer noted the adaptation strategy reflects an inclusive process with “an evolutionary and practical result that does not reinvent the wheel, but builds on what it does well.” He welcomed the aspirational target of directing 20% of resources to actions that support Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs).

Evans Njewa, on behalf of the LDC Group, said the Work Program demonstrates a collective agreement to support vulnerable communities. He stressed that further efforts are needed to close the finance gap.

The LDCF/SCCF Council, among other things:

• endorsed the GEF Programming Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change as a basis for programming resources under the LDCF and SCCF from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2030;
• approved the Work Program for both funds;
• approved the proposed budget for the GEF Secretariat, STAP, and the Trustee for 2027; 
• took note of the Annual Evaluation Report 2026 and endorsed the management response; and
• approved the budget for the GEF Independent Evaluation Office under the LDCF and the SCCF to carry out their Work Program for 2027.

Opening the sixth meeting of the GBFF Council, Co-Chair Gascon highlighted that the Fund has received over USD 386 million in contributions since its launch in August 2023. He mentioned an expanded, diverse contributor base, including the GEF’s first non-sovereign donor.

“The GBFF has evolved from an experiment in building something genuinely different into a ground-breaking, idea-challenging, and engagement-driving example of how to drive progress,” stressed Co-Chair Bontjer, reflecting on the Fund’s three-year track-record of setting the scene for engaging IPLCs and improving resource mobilization and access for those most affected by biodiversity loss.

Asad Naqvi, Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat, added that “decisions on biodiversity finance taken today will determine whether future risks to economies are mitigated or amplified.”

The GBFF Council approved: the Work Program; the business plan and budget for the Secretariat, STAP, and the Trustee for 2027; and the Resource Mobilization Strategy for the GBFF 2026-2030. Members also welcomed the report and took note of progress made in the operations of the GBFF.