Jean-Marc Sinnassamy is a Senior Environmental Specialist who oversees the GEF’s project portfolio related to land and forest management in Africa, including the new Congo Basin Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program. In an interview, he shared life lessons from his work with communities, activists, academics, government officials, and business leaders to prioritize nature at both the global and local levels.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced us all to confront how environmental degradation bringing wildlife and people too close together endangers economies and societies alike. In a document prepared for the 58th GEF Council, the Global Environment Facility Secretariat outlines its planned response to COVID-19. Read it here.
Aulani Wilhelm is Senior Vice President of Oceans at Conservation International. In an interview, she shared lessons from her work tackling challenges to coastal and marine areas around the world and shared how the Hawaiian core value of kuleana has informed her personal and professional approach.
What is the program you work on and what does it aim to do?
David Rubia is the Africa Program Management Officer for the GEF-supported Global E-Mobility Program. In an interview, he shared his optimism about the benefits of electrifying multiple modes of transportation in Africa (from two and three-wheelers to buses to airport ground-support fleets), and reflected on what the COVID-19 crisis has reminded him about the value of connectivity.
Françoise Clottes is Director of Strategy and Operations at the Global Environment Facility. In an interview ahead of the first-ever ‘virtual’ GEF Council, happening June 2-3 across 17 time zones, she reflected on the ways government, civil society, GEF agency colleagues, and the GEF Secretariat are staying connected and continuing to support the global environment through the coronavirus shutdown.
Doreen Robinson is Chief for Wildlife at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and coordinator of the new GEF Congo Basin Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program, a six-country initiative working to address environmental degradation in Central Africa’s forests.
High-level representatives from the five Riparians virtually signed a joint statement today, thus endorsing the Strategic Action Program (SAP) for the sustainable management of the extended Drin Basin, directly benefiting its 1.6 million inhabitants. Shared among Albania, Greece, Kosovo*, Montenegro, and North Macedonia (the five 'Riparians'), the Drin River Basin provides water resources for drinking, energy, fishing, and agriculture, biodiversity, tourism and industry.
The global spread of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) is a source of great concern to all of us. The Global Environment Facility is working with our partners and stakeholders to ensure the continuity of urgent environmental projects and programs in developing countries.
GEF Operational Updates
Gustavo Fonseca is Director of Programs at the Global Environment Facility, one of the world’s largest funders of actions to combat the illegal wildlife trade. In an interview, he addressed the animal origins of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the potential power of wildlife trading bans, and the need for greater alignment between science, policy, and environmental action.
What do we know about where COVID-19 came from?
Yi Liu has been the National Coordinator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) administered GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) in China since 2009. In an interview, she reflected on the ways the COVID-19 crisis has impacted efforts to help local communities address environmental challenges, and shared life lessons from her work.
