Least Developed Countries

Highlights for Thursday, 13 June 2019 L-R: William Ehlers, GEF Secretariat; Co-Chair Carola Van Rijnsoever, the Netherlands; and Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, join participants in a resounding round of applause at the conclusion of the meeting. On the third and final day of the 56th meeting of the GEF Council, the Council convened as the 26th meeting of the Council for the Least Developed Countries Fund and the Special Climate Change Fund (LDCF/SCCF), and approved the Joint Summary of the Chairs for the joint Council meeting.Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, acting as Co-Chair of the LDCF/SCCF Council, shared takeaway messages from a recent meeting of the Global Commission on Adaptation. She highlighted the upcoming UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit and the 25th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change as opportunities to accelerate action on the ground. She also thanked Ireland for its EUR 2 million contribution to the LDCF.In a keynote address, Orsalia Kalantzopoulos, CEO, Europa Re Ltd., outlined her Swiss-based catastrophe risk reinsurance company’s efforts to provide climate risk insurance coverage in southeastern Europe, saying its experience can be replicated in other regions.GEF Council Members, convening as the 26th meeting of the LDCF/SCCF Council, adopted a joint LDCF/SCCF work program comprising 12 projects, with resources amounting to USD 103.41 million for the LDCF and SCCF, including project grants and Agency fees. They also welcomed the Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Monitoring Review of the Funds and its finding that 87% and 94% of LDCF and SCCF projects under implementation in FY18, respectively, were rated “moderately satisfactory” or above for their progress towards development objectives.Following approval of the Joint Summary of the Chairs for both the GEF Council and the LDCF/SCCF Council meetings, GEF CEO and Chairperson Naoko Ishii closed the meeting at 12:02 pm. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage, video coverage, and a summary report from the GEF Council Consultation Meeting with CSOs, 56th GEF Council Meeting, and 26th Meeting of the LDCF/SCCF Council. The summary report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. The Council convenes as the 26th meeting of the LDCF/SCCF Council. Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson Orsalia Kalantzopoulos, CEO, Europe Re Ltd, presents on climate risk insurance efforts in southeastern Europe. Stefan Schwager, Council Member, Switzerland Stephanie Bouziges-Eschmann, Alternate Council Member, France Sydah Naigaga, Regional Focal Point, Eastern Africa, GEF-CSO Network Marjolein Geusebroek, Advisor, the Netherlands Participants hear a presentation on the LDCF Work Program. Gustavo Fonseca and Chizuru Aoki, GEF Secretariat, respond to comments from the floor on the Annual Monitoring Review of the LDCF and SCCF. Juho Uitto and Anna Viggh, IEO, discuss the LDCF/SCCF Annual Evaluation Report. Jozef Buys, Council Member, Belgium Kordula Mehlhart, Council Member, Germany Peter Elder, Council Member, Australia Ludovica Soderini, Advisor, Italy GEF CEO and Chairperson Naoko Ishii closes the meeting at 12:02 pm. Françoise Clottes, GEF Secretariat, says goodbye to Jozef Buys, Council Member, Belgium. L-R: Comlon Awougnon, Alternate Council Member, Togo, consults with Jean-Marc Sinnassamy, GEF Secretariat. L-R: Rachna Ramsurn, Council Member, Mauritius, and Aparna Subramani, Council Member, India, share a moment. L-R: William Ehlers, GEF Secretariat; Praveen Prasad Desabatla, World Bank; and Peter Lallas, GEF Secretariat, consult on the Chairs' Joint Summary of the meetings.

Highlights for Tuesday, 11 June 2019 Participants view a slide from the presentation by the Chair of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP), showing the “Shawn the Sheep” slug, which helped frame the discussions on the STAP Chair's presentation on science. Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, opened the 56th meeting of the GEF Council, highlighting that the GEF’s 2020 strategy has shifted focus from treating the symptoms of environmental degradation to addressing its causes and drivers. The GEF Secretariat presented the work program, the largest ever proposed, amounting to USD 865.9 million in projects and programs, including four Impact Programs covering food systems and land use, Amazon forests, Congo basin forests, and dryland landscapes. After seeking a number of clarifications and offering comments about specific elements and projects, the Council approved the work program, which will benefit 91 recipient countries, including 30 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and 32 small island developing States (SIDS). It was agreed that a request from many Members for greater transparency regarding the selection of lead agencies and project countries for Impact Programs would be dealt with in a separate decision on Wednesday. Council Members heard a report from the STAP Chair, highlighting, inter alia, recent scientific reports, including the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Global Assessment of the State of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and the UN Environment Programme Sixth Global Environmental Outlook, and what they mean for the GEF, criteria for GEF Impact Programs, and ways to achieve more enduring outcomes from GEF investments. In ensuing discussion, numerous interventions focused on definitions of durability versus sustainability and on how to incorporate STAP’s recent work, particularly on climate risk screening, into project design under the new work program. Delegates also discussed further work on the sustainability of GEF projects and programs. Council Members considered a draft updated monitoring policy, focusing on: the need to align now-separate monitoring and evaluation policies; the respective roles of Operational Focal Points and recipient countries; “achieved” versus “expected” results; deadlines for starting to use the new policy and related templates and guidelines; activities to be covered by the new policy; and civil society organization (CSO) involvement. Delegates further considered a report on the Working Group on the GEF Partnership. They agreed that further work is needed on implementation modalities associated with the concentration of GEF resources across Agencies and the previously-agreed 30% ceiling on the GEF’s share of Agencies’ portfolios, and requested that the Working Group present recommendations to the Council at a future date. Finally, Council Members took note of the GEF business plan, and approved the corporate budget for the fiscal year 2020 from the GEF Trust Fund of USD 29.273 million.In the afternoon, Ishii and Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary, UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation between the GEF and UNCCD. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage, video coverage, and a summary report from the GEF Council Consultation Meeting with CSOs, 56th GEF Council Meeting, and 26th Meeting of the LDCF/SCCF Council. The summary report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. A view of the opening session of the 56th meeting of the GEF Council Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson Carola Van Rijnsoever, Council Member, the Netherlands, was elected Co-Chair of the 56th GEF Council Meeting. Council members raise their flags. Comlon Awougnon, Alternate Council Member, Togo Zhongjing Wang, Council Member, China Jozef Buys, Council Member, Belgium Aparna Subramani, Council Member, India Martha Cuba, Council Member, Peru Peter Elder, Council Member, Australia Particpants from the GEF-CSO Network Peter Lallas, GEF Secretariat Françoise Clottes, GEF Secretariat Akhteruzzaman Sano, Interim Chair of GEF-CSO Network Elizabeth Lien, Council Member, US L-R: Praveen Prasad Desabatla and Tapiwa Sikipa, World Bank A view of the plenary session from the dais Rosina Bierbaum, STAP Chair Kordula Melhart, Council Member, Germany Gustavo Fonseca, GEF Secretariat Stefan Schwager, Council Member, Switzerland A view of the presentation on the 2019 work program Lauren Céline Naville Gisnås, Council Member, Norway Dan Bakoye Chaibou, Council Member, Niger L-R: Gustavo Fonseca and Claude Gascon, GEF Secretariat Antonio Micha, Alternate Council Member, Equatorial Guinea Yoshiko Motoyama, Alternate Council Member, Japan L-R: Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, and William Ehlers, GEF Secretariat L-R: Sana Taktak Keskes, Regional Focal Point for North Africa, CSO Network; Akhteruzzaman Sano, Interim Chair, GEF-CSO Network; and Linghui He, Toxics-Free China Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, and Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary, UNCCD, sign a Memorandum of Understanding.

Highlights for Monday, 10 June 2019 L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS); Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, Under-Secretary-General, Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS); Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA); Miguel de Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs; Co-Chair Isabelle Picco, Monaco; Dmitry Gonchar, UNDOALOS; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS The twentieth meeting of the United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (ICP-20) opened on 10 June 2019 at the UN Headquarters in New York, under the theme, “Ocean Science and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.”In the morning, delegates adopted the meeting agenda and programme of work for ICP-20, to be co-chaired by Isabelle Picco (Monaco) and Pennelope Althea Beckles (Trinidad and Tobago). They heard opening remarks from: Miguel de Serpa Soares, UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, who said the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development provides an opportunity to recognize the value of ocean science in eradicating poverty and supporting blue economy; Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) who highlighted the 2020 High-Level UN Conference to Support the Implementation of SDG14 (life below water) as an opportunity to scale up ocean action based on science and innovation; and Fekitamoeloa Katoa 'Utoikamanu, Under-Secretary-General, Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS), who emphasized the important role of traditional knowledge in enhancing the effectiveness of ocean science. During the general exchange of views, delegates highlighted: the importance of addressing data gaps and gender imbalances in ocean science; ensuring long-term partnerships with developing countries; and ensuring science literacy.Delegates then participated in a panel discussion on scope and uses of, and gaps in, ocean science, which included presentations on: the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development; the global status of ocean science; ocean science and human health; deep sea biological processes; and ocean science in support of sustainable fisheries. During the afternoon break, delegates attended a side event on “UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development,” hosted by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC). IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) meeting coverage, provided daily web updates from the 20th Meeting of the UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, has published a summary and analysis report of the meeting, which is available in HTML and PDF. Miguel de Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, Under-Secretary-General, UN-OHRLLS Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General, UNDESA Co-Chair Isabelle Picco, Monaco Fred Sarufa, Papua New Guinea Craig McLean, US Andrea White, Canada Kane Amandus, Nauru Milind Wakdikar, India Panel Discussion on “Scope and Uses of, and Gaps in, Ocean Science” Vladimir Ryabinin, Executive Secretary, Intergovernmental Oceanic Commission of UNESCO (IOC) A slide from Vladimir Ryabinin’s presentation Panelists during the afternoon session John Agard, St. Augustine Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Trinidad and Tobago Hervé Raps, Monaco Scientific Center, Monaco Francisco Werner, NOAA, US Slide from presentation by Francisco Werner, US Silvana Birchenough, Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) John Brincat, EU Delegates from Haiti during discussions in the afternoon Panelists from the side event on “UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.” Delegates at the end of the first day of ICP-20

Highlights for Friday, 17 May 2019 Officials celebrate the successful conclusion of the Sixth Global Platform (L-R:) Marwa El-Menshawy, UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Stakeholder Mechanism; Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for DRR; Co-Chair Manuel Sager, State Secretary and Director-General of the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation, Switzerland; and Kirsi Madi, Director, UNDRR. The final day of the Sixth 2019 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2019) in Geneva, Switzerland, featured a high-level dialogue and several working sessions, including talks on national and local disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies, multi-hazard early warning systems (MHEWS), and the role of cities in achieving inclusive climate and disaster resilience. High-level dialogue participants discussed how to work towards achieving the international agendas set out in the Sendai Framework for DRR, the Paris Agreement on climate, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in a coherent manner, with a strong focus on reducing vulnerability and poverty. Participants observed that urbanization is the defining demographic trend of this century, and requires resilient and inclusive infrastructure. Events of the day culminated in the announcement of the 2019 RISK Award winner, which this year went to Nandan Mukherjee at the University of Dundee, for his work in developing floating homes in Bangladesh. The biennial award recognizes outstanding projects in the field of risk reduction and disaster management, and provides €100,000 for project activities, given by the Munich Re Foundation. Closing the event, Co-Chair Manuel Sager, State Secretary and Director-General of the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation, Switzerland, presented highlights from the Co-Chairs’ summary of the Sixth Global Platform, and offered concluding thoughts on what had been achieved during the week: strong exchanges between the DRR and climate action communities; 50% representation of women on panels; multi-stakeholder participation, including by city mayors; and discussions of “the resilience dividend” that can be achieved through action on DRR. He urged more countries to develop and report on DRR strategies at the national and local levels through the Sendai Framework Monitor, an online tool for reporting and analysis. Co-Chair Mami Mizutori, Assistant Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), said the 2019 Global Assessment Report sends a clear message that risk is complex and systemic, exacerbates inequality, and preys on the vulnerable. She sounded a call to delegates that “our cause is just and right.” She declared the conference closed at 5:49 PM. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary report from GP2019, which is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Ángeles Estrada For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page High-Level Dialogue Panelists at the High-Level Dialogue on pursuing coherence between the Sendai Framework, the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement (L-R): Minata Samate Cessouma, Commissioner for Political Affairs African Union; Norbert Barthle, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany; Audrey Aumua, Pacific Community; Javier Abugattas Fatule, Head, National Center for Strategic Planning (CEPLAN), Peru; and Koko Warner, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Norbert Barthle, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany, and Audrey Aumua, Pacific Community Javier Abugattas Fatule, Head of CEPLAN (National Center for Strategic Planning), Peru; and Koko Warner, UNFCCC Minata Samate Cessouma, African Union Working Sessions Panelists at a working session discuss “Ensuring Coordination in the Development and Implementation of National Risk Reduction Strategies and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs)” (L-R): Hana Hamadalla Mohamed, Chair of the Least Developed Countries Expert Group; Emmanuel Guzman, Climate Change Commission, Philippines; and Nazhat Shameem Khan, Fiji. Participants crowd into a meeting room to hear speakers on “Ensuring Coordination in the Development and Implementation of National Risk Reduction Strategies and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).” Panelists address the room at a working session on “Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems: Progress and Challenges to Achieve Target G” (L-R): Peter Felten, Germany; Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization (WMO); and Saima Hossain, Shuchona Foundation, Bangladesh Osvaldo Luiz Leal de Moraes, Director of the National Early Warning and Monitoring Centre of Natural Disasters, Brazil Guleid Artan, Director, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), and Esline Garaebiti, Vanuatu Panelists address the working session on “Cities on the forefront of achieving inclusive climate and disaster resilience” (L-R): Aromar Revi, Director, Indian Institute for Human Settlements; Farah Kabir, ActionAid, Bangladesh; Sami Kanaan, Mayor of Geneva, Switzerland; Desmond McKenzie, Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Jamaica; Cinthia Borjas Valenzuela, Municipality of the Central District of Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Maruxa Cardama, Secretary-General, Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport (SloCaT) Delegates take part in a working session on “Cities on the forefront of achieving inclusive climate and disaster resilience.” Farah Kabir, Country Director, ActionAid, Bangladesh Cinthia Borjas Valenzuela, Municipality of the Central District of Tegucigalpa, Honduras Risk Award Thomas Loster, Chairman, Munich Re Foundation; Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for DRR; and Nandan Mukarjhee, University of Dundee Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of SRSG for DRR Thomas Loster, Chairman, Munich Re Foundation Around the Venue Minata Samate Cessouma, Commissioner for Political Affairs African Union; Audrey Aumua, Pacific Community; Javier Abugattas Fatule, Head, National Center for Strategic Planning (CEPLAN), Peru; Norbert Barthle, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany; and Koko Warner, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Participants from Nigeria pose for a photograph (L-R): Luqman Salami, Maryam Yau, Ochanya Ruth Anike, and Mustapha Yunusa. Participants around the venue A 3-D printer on display at the conference venue offers possibilities for making equipment that can be used in emergencies. An exhibit shows the use of 3-D printers in emergencies.