Least Developed Countries

William Ehlers, GEF Secretariat, Abdul Bakarr Salim, Council Co-Chair, and Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson On the third and final day of the 55th meeting of the GEF Council, the Council concluded its consideration of a number of decisions, discussed measures to enhance the sustainability of GEF projects and programs, convened as the Council of the Least Developed Countries Fund/Special Climate Change Fund (LDCF/SCCF), and approved the Joint Summary of the Chairs for the Council meetings. On the sustainability of GEF programs and projects, the Secretariat presented an information note indicating that it could not yet recommend concrete measures and that further work with Agencies and the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) is required. Members called for action soon, with one Member suggesting that the Secretariat propose measures to the 56th meeting of the Council, and the IEO offer recommendations to the 57th meeting, and another Member suggesting that the Secretariat propose a work plan to the 56th meeting. CEO Ishii said the Secretariat would reflect on the issue and come back to the Council.GEF Council Members also convened as the 25th meeting of the Council of the LDCF/SCCF, and adopted a Work Program comprising six project concepts, with resources amounting to US$45.85 million for the LDCF, including project grants and Agency fees. At the conclusion of the LDCF/SCCF Council, Members announced the following pledges and contributions to the LDCF/SCCF on behalf of their governments: Walloon Region of Belgium: EUR2.9 million to the LDCF; Denmark: DKK150 million to the LDCF; Finland: EUR2 million to the LDCF; France: EUR20 million to the LDCF; the Netherlands: US$9.1 million to the LDCF in 2018; Sweden: SEK135 million to the LDCF in 2018; and Switzerland: US$9.9 million to the LDCF and US$3.3 million to the SCCF, pending parliamentary approval. Germany reported that it will finalize its contribution of EUR25 million before the end of the year.Following approval of the Joint Summary of the Chairs for both the GEF Council and the LDCF/SCCF Council, GEF CEO and Chairperson Naoko Ishii closed the meeting at 1:54 pm.  IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage from the 55th Meeting of the GEF Council. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary report of the meeting in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Leila Mead For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page GEF CEO and Chairperson Naoko Ishii Aparna Subramani, India, and Stefan Schwager, Switzerland Marita Olson, Sweden Ruel Edwards, Grenada Josceline Wheatley, UK Abdulqader Alkharraz, Yemen Peter Elder, Australia Francoise Clottes, GEF Secretariat Laura Bermúdez, Colombia Seyad Mousavi, Iran, and Kordula Mehlhart, Germany William Ehlers, GEF Secretariat, Abdul Bakarr Salim, Council Co-Chair, and Naoko Iishi, GEF CEO and Chairperson Lauren Gisnas, Norway Delegates from India and Switzerland 25th LDCF/SCCF Council Meeting Moise Jean-Pierre, Haiti, and GEF Operational Focal Point for Haiti (center), showcases an LDCF project in Haiti. A view of the screen during the presentation of the LDCF progress report Pledging Session for the LDCF and the SCCF Tobias Von Platen-Hallermund, Denmark Jozef Buys, Belgium Carola Van Rijnsoever, the Netherlands Stephanie Bouziges-Eschmann, France Stefan Schwager, Switzerland Co-Chair Adbul Bakarr Salim and GEF CEO and Chairperson Naoko Ishii at the conclusion of the Council meeting Around the Venue Delegates and members of the GEF Secretariat consulting