Samarkand, June 2026 – The 71st Council of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) concluded in Uzbekistan with landmark decisions that will boost international environmental finance through 2030. Meeting alongside the Councils for the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF/SCCF) and the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF), delegates approved $232.5 million in new financing across 24 projects in 22 countries.
The approvals include 16 projects under the GEF Trust Fund totaling $144.3 million, expected to mobilize $828 million in co-finance; eight projects under LDCF/SCCF worth $67.7 million to support climate adaptation in vulnerable nations; and two GBFF projects totaling $20.5 million, with 39 percent of programming directed to Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
Beyond immediate financing, representatives of the GEF’s 186 participant countries endorsed programming directions for the $3.9 billion ninth replenishment (GEF-9), signaling strong global commitment to multilateral environmental action through 2030.
The GEF Trust Fund work program spans biodiversity, land degradation, international waters, climate change, and blended finance. Progress has already surpassed GEF-8 goals, with 1.9 billion hectares of protected oceans, 2.3 billion tons of greenhouse gas reductions, and 10.1 million hectares of land restored. Interim CEO Claude Gascon emphasized the catalytic role of blended finance, noting that each GEF dollar invested generates more than $18 in co-finance.
GEF-9 introduces structural reforms to make operations faster and more accountable, with priorities including integrated programs across food, energy, and health systems, blended finance at scale, whole-of-society engagement, and strengthened support for vulnerable countries. Notably, $100 million will be directed to an Indigenous Peoples and local communities Conservation Initiative, quadrupling previous allocations.
The Councils also endorsed strategies for climate adaptation and biodiversity. The LDCF/SCCF Council approved projects to reduce flood risks, protect biodiversity, and expand opportunities for vulnerable communities, while the GBFF Council advanced conservation projects and a new resource mobilization strategy to unlock financing from governments, private sector, and philanthropy.
On the opening day, the Rob Walton Foundation announced a partnership with the GEF to help African governments mobilize up to $50 million for effective management of Africa’s Keystone Protected Areas, underscoring the importance of collaborative funding.
The Eighth GEF Assembly, opening June 4 in Samarkand, will bring together 1,900 participants, showcasing successful projects and innovations financed by the GEF. As Aziz Abdukhakimov, Advisor to the President of Uzbekistan, noted, “We meet at a moment when the triple planetary crisis is increasingly visible. The role of the GEF is more important than ever.”
