Naoko Ishii is CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility, a multilateral trust fund whose $1 billion annual work program helps developing countries address the drivers of environmental damage and degradation. In an interview, she reflected on the root causes of the coronavirus outbreak and the message the pandemic is sending us about the way we live.
What does the coronavirus outbreak mean for international action on the environment?
Gabriella Richardson Temm leads the Global Environment Facility’s efforts to ensure that gender is systematically addressed in GEF-funded projects and programs, and to coordinate such efforts across the GEF partnership. In an interview, she reflected on her professional path and shared her hopes for International Women’s Day 2020.
Q: When did you first realize that gender and environmental issues are linked?
Clément Chenost is Co-founder and Managing Director of the Moringa Fund, a private equity investment vehicle supporting sustainable agroforestry in Latin America and Africa. The Global Environment Facility became an equity partner in Moringa in 2015, as part of the GEF’s blended finance portfolio. In an interview, Chenost shared his motivation to launch the Fund, the power of organic certification, and what cashew nuts have taught him about farm-to-fork value chains.
The global situation with the spread of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) is evolving rapidly and is a source of great concern to all of us. We all need to play our part to keep our communities as safe as possible.
With this in mind, the GEF Secretariat remains open for business but all staff are working remotely, and non-essential travel has been suspended. We are making every effort to maintain business continuity in our operations, and remain in close contact with the GEF’s stakeholders through this challenging period.
A five-year, $50 million Global Environment Facility-funded program rolled out by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and partners has made remarkable progress in protecting international waters' biodiversity by rendering fishing in these waters less harmful to several marine species, including sea turtles and tuna.
The Ministry of Forests and Environment launched the Integrated Landscape Management to Secure Nepal’s Protected Areas and Critical Corridors (ILaM) at an event in Kathmandu. The $6.6 million project will be implemented in the Terai Arc Landscape for a period of five years.
As 2019 draws to a close, we are looking back on an important year for the Global Environment Facility and looking forward to the 2020 Super Year with its hopes of progress for nature and people, including new international agreements on oceans, biodiversity, and climate change.
Government representatives have approved more than $600 million for two new work programs that include innovative ventures to expand marine protected areas and engage indigenous peoples for biodiversity protection, and for climate change resilience-building efforts in least developed countries.
Local communities should be enlisted as “the first line of defense” against the illegal trade of wild animals and plants, which is much more pervasive and complex than is commonly understood, TRAFFIC Executive Director Steve Broad told participants at the GEF Civil Society Consultation Meetings held in Washington this week.
The 57th meeting of the GEF Council, taking place December 16-19 in Washington DC, will be an opportunity for governments worldwide to take stock of environmental challenges and to chart next steps for shared action in pursuit of sustainable cities and the protection of biodiversity on land and sea.
