Highlights and images for 31 May 2026

“The triple planetary crisis is increasingly visible and the role of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) is more important than ever.” The opening remarks of Aziz Abdukhakimov, Advisor to the President of Uzbekistan on Environment and Chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, set the stage for the opening day of the 71st GEF Council meeting.

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

Introducing the agenda and the focus of work, Claude Gascon, Interim CEO and Chairperson of the GEF, highlighted accomplishments under the eighth replenishment of the GEF Trust Fund (GEF-8), including: high-impact investments and blended finance; integration with 98 countries participating; and advanced knowledge sharing and learning, gender equality, and Indigenous Peoples’ participation.

GEF Council Co-Chair Richard Bontjer (Australia) stressed the importance of providing solutions amid geopolitical tensions and accelerating environmental and climate crises, highlighting a proposal to add up to three new Implementing Agencies to address identified gaps in programming for the private sector and Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs). 

Across a full day of deliberations, Council members and participants focused on: 

• the summary of negotiations of GEF-9; 
• the Work Program for the GEF Trust Fund; 
• the GEF business plan and corporate budget for 2027; 
• strengthening the GEF Partnership through the agency expansion procedure; 
• the GEF-9 System for Transparent Allocation of Resources (STAR) policy; 
• the GEF-9 Integrated Programs Lead Agency terms of reference (ToR) and selection process; and 
• the report of the Chairperson of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP). 

Council members took note of the summary of GEF-9 negotiations and endorsed the programming directions, including allocations of resources and policy recommendations. They approved the Work Program; the GEF-9 Integrated Programs Lead Agency ToR and selection process; and, following consultations to address travel-related costs, the GEF business plan and budget for 2027.

Members expressed strong appreciation for the work of the STAP, welcoming the report of the STAP Chairperson and making suggestions for further improvement. They expressed broad support for key proposed modifications to the STAR policy. Following consultations and the circulation of a revised document, the Council approved the modified STAR policy, which replaces and supersedes all relevant previous Council decisions regarding STAR.

Informal deliberations are underway to finalize the decision on strengthening the GEF Partnership through the agency expansion procedure.