The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has approved $232.5 million in new environmental financing across 24 projects in 22 countries and endorsed a $3.9 billion funding framework aimed at accelerating international environmental action through 2030.
The decisions emerged from the 71st GEF Council meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, ahead of the Eighth GEF Assembly, where nearly 1,900 registered participants are gathering to discuss global responses to climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, and other environmental challenges.
The newly approved funding package includes projects supported through the GEF Trust Fund, the Least Developed Countries Fund and Special Climate Change Fund (LDCF/SCCF), and the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF).
Officials described the approvals as a significant step toward meeting international environmental commitments during what many policymakers consider a critical decade for climate and biodiversity action.
The largest portion of the new financing comes from the GEF Trust Fund, which approved 16 projects and programs worth $144.3 million. Those projects are expected to leverage more than $828 million in additional co-financing from governments, development institutions, and other partners.
The funding will support biodiversity conservation, land restoration, climate action, international water management, and blended finance initiatives across 19 countries. Among the beneficiaries are four Small Island Developing States and seven Least Developed Countries.
The LDCF/SCCF approved eight projects valued at $67.7 million to strengthen climate adaptation efforts in some of the world’s most vulnerable nations. The projects focus on reducing flood and coastal risks, strengthening food security, protecting ecosystems, improving disaster preparedness, and expanding economic opportunities for communities facing growing climate pressures.
Meanwhile, the GBFF approved two biodiversity-focused projects totaling $20.5 million. According to the fund, 39 percent of its programming is directed toward Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
The Council reported that several environmental targets established under the GEF’s eighth funding cycle have already been exceeded.
According to GEF figures, supported projects have helped expand protected ocean areas to 1.9 billion hectares, nearly twenty times higher than the original target of 100 million hectares.
The organization also reported greenhouse gas emission reductions totaling 2.3 billion tons, surpassing the target of 1.9 billion tons.
Efforts to improve cooperation in shared water ecosystems have reached 59 ecosystems, exceeding the target of 40. Land restoration initiatives have also restored more than 10.1 million hectares of ecosystems, slightly above the 10 million-hectare goal.
Claude Gascon, Interim CEO and Chairperson of the GEF, said the organization’s approach of linking environmental priorities across sectors has produced measurable outcomes.
“Our focus on integration was fully embedded in the GEF-8 cycle, and the portfolio is generating environmental benefits at scale with high-impact investments driving results across all focal areas,” Gascon said.
Gascon also highlighted the role of blended finance in attracting additional investment.
“The GEF’s blended finance operations are generating more than $18 in co-finance for each dollar we invest, underscoring the GEF’s catalytic role in mobilizing diverse sources of finance,” he said.
Beyond approving new projects, representatives from the GEF’s 186 participating countries endorsed the programming directions for the ninth replenishment cycle, known as GEF-9.
The replenishment framework establishes a programming level of $3.9 billion for the period between July 2026 and June 2030, following initial donor pledges announced in April.
The endorsement signals continued support for multilateral environmental financing at a time when governments face mounting pressure to meet international commitments under climate, biodiversity, and sustainable development agreements.
Gascon described the replenishment as a demonstration of international cooperation.
“This is a powerful demonstration of commitment to meeting international environmental goals through multilateral cooperation,” he said.
“The replenishment process has shown what becomes possible when we choose cooperation and collaboration when we come together to act not just for our own countries, but for our shared planet.”
The GEF-9 framework includes several structural reforms intended to simplify procedures and improve the speed with which funding reaches recipient countries.
The new cycle will focus on large-scale integrated programs designed to address interconnected environmental challenges involving nature, food systems, urban development, energy, and public health.
The fund also plans to expand the use of blended finance, with an aspirational goal of allocating 25 percent of resources to projects capable of mobilizing private-sector capital.
The replenishment package increases support for vulnerable countries, directing 35 percent of resources toward Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.
In addition, 20 percent of resources will support Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
One of the most significant commitments involves a new $100 million Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Conservation Initiative. The allocation represents four times the level of support provided during the previous funding cycle and aims to provide direct financing to Indigenous-led organizations.
New Partnership Targets African Protected Areas
During the opening day of the Council meeting, the Rob Walton Foundation announced a partnership with the GEF to help African governments secure up to $50 million in additional financing for the management of Africa’s Keystone Protected Areas.
The initiative focuses on 162 protected and conserved areas identified as critical for biodiversity protection, water security, livelihoods, and sustainable development across the continent.
As delegates prepared for the Eighth GEF Assembly, Uzbek officials emphasized the urgency of accelerating environmental action.
Aziz Abdukhakimov, Advisor to the President of Uzbekistan on the Environment and Chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, told delegates that environmental pressures continue to intensify worldwide.
“We meet in Samarkand at a moment when the triple planetary crisis is becoming increasingly visible across all regions of the world,” Abdukhakimov said.
“At the same time, the window for achieving our global environmental commitments is rapidly decreasing. This is why the role of the GEF is important more than ever.”
The Assembly, which convenes every four years, serves as the highest governing body of the GEF and brings together government officials, policymakers, civil society organizations, development partners, and private-sector representatives to review progress and shape future environmental priorities.
Since its establishment more than three decades ago, the Global Environment Facility has provided over $27 billion in financing and helped mobilize an additional $155 billion for environmental projects in developing countries, making it one of the largest sources of multilateral environmental funding worldwide.
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