Global Environment Facility

“Young people give me hope.”   Across drylands, rangelands, and global policy spaces, young people are bringing their knowledge, ideas, and voices to efforts to protect and restore land.   On #InternationalYouthDay, and ahead of #UNCCDCOP17 in #Mongolia, hear from #GEFVoices including Maasai pastoralist Joshua Laizer, who is combining traditional knowledge with science and technology to support healthier rangelands; Rico Rau, Global Focal Point for the UNCCD Youth Caucus, who is bringing youth perspectives to discussions on land degradation and soil health; and Tania Ukuncham, whose work with Indigenous communities in Ecuador is helping strengthen youth participation, ancestral knowledge, and the sustainable management of territories.   Their stories highlight the role young people can play in shaping the future of the land. 🌱   Read their stories on the GEF voices: https://lnkd.in/ebjZZRdc   #GEFatLandCOP17 #UNited4Land #COP17Ulaanbaatar

Gustavo Fonseca built bridges between science, policy, and action – and opened paths for many others to follow. In Brasília, family, former students, authors, conservation leaders, and GEF colleagues gathered at Funbio - Fundo Brasileiro para a Biodiversidade to launch the Portuguese edition of "In Service of Nature and People: Science, Leadership, and the Conservation Legacy of Gustavo Fonseca". The book honors a scientist, mentor, institution builder, and global conservation leader whose work helped shape conservation in Brazil and around the world. But the stories shared in Brasília were not only about what Gustavo achieved. They were about how he worked: trusting people to lead, connecting science with practical action, building institutions, and pushing conservation to be more ambitious. That legacy continues through the GEF’s Gustavo Fonseca conservation leadership initiatives, including the Fonseca Fellowship Program, which is now supporting more than 300 emerging conservation leaders around the world. Explore the publication: https://lnkd.in/eueHk_Fi Funbio - Fundo Brasileiro para a Biodiversidade The World Bank Group Conservation International UN Biodiversity IUCN Universidade de Brasília #GustavoFonseca #Conservation #Biodiversity #ScienceForNature #Leadership

Our latest newsletter focuses on youth leadership for land health around the world, from Ecuador to Kenya to Mongolia, where the UN Convention to Combat Desertification will hold its COP17 this month. We are also highlighting how the fire chief at the Kenya Airports Authority is leading a regional shift away from harmful chemicals as he looks to improve the safety of firefighters as well as passengers.

International Youth Day is August 12 — and at the Global Environment Facility (GEF), we want to mark it with a simple truth: when you invest in youth, the environment wins too. Young people are working untiringly to achieve the ambitious goal of the 2030 environment goals. From the highlands of Bhutan to dryland communities in Kenya, Mongolia, and Peru — from grassroots civil society groups across Asia, Africa, and Latin America — young people are taking part in the conversation as advocates and leaders. This leadership spans diverse parts of the world. Different landscapes, different tools, different challenges, and the same conviction: when you invest in youth, the environment wins too. Eastern Bhutan — Ten young farmers and entrepreneurs are learning agro-ecology and climate adaptation through the EYAAS program, part of FAO and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)'s Food Systems Integrated Program across 32 countries. Half of them are young women. The program is now expanding to Costa Rica and Mexico. The opportunity is open to youth nominated by Food Systems Integrated Program country projects and covers agro-ecology, gender dimensions, and leadership skills. If you think you would be a great match, this is your opportunity to apply: https://lnkd.in/eNDT-jK6 Across four regions — The GEF Small Grants Program Civil Society Organization Challenge just opened its call for proposals. It's not built for big institutions. It's built for grassroots organizations run by people who already know their ecosystems and need resources to scale what they are doing. If that sounds like you, this is your moment. Find out more and apply here: https://csochallenge.org/ 12 countries, one mandate — Through the GEF-funded Civil Society for Land Degradation Neutrality project, young land practitioners from 12 countries, including Kenya, Mongolia, and Peru, are not waiting for a seat at the table. Through this project, they are buildingt the technical and political skills to demand one. These mentors and mentees will bring direct local knowledge into binding international decisions, translating what drought and land degradation actually look like on the ground into the language of international mandates. Because the people who know the land best should be the ones deciding its future. Want to hear from these young leaders directly? Check their COP17 agenda: https://lnkd.in/eb_wRYFm #InternationalYouthDay #YouthLeadership #Environment  

🇬🇳 Guinea’s highlands are the source of more than 22 major rivers across West Africa, earning the country its reputation as the region’s “water tower.” But deforestation and land degradation are putting these vital watersheds under increasing pressure. Through an $11 million investment from the Global Environment Facility (GEF)’s Least Developed Countries Fund #LDCF, the The World Bank Group-supported Guinea Water and Sanitation Project is using nature-based solutions to restore upstream landscapes, reduce erosion, and help secure reliable drinking water for communities in Greater Conakry. By bringing nature and infrastructure together, the initiative is protecting vital water resources while supporting jobs, livelihoods, and healthier ecosystems: https://lnkd.in/g7fyMTEN #Guinea #WaterSecurity #NatureBasedSolutions #EcosystemRestoration #SustainableDevelopment #LDCF

Join us at UNCCD COP17 for a featured side event reflecting on the successful implementation of GEF-8 over the last four years in support of the implementation of the UNCCD, and looking ahead to programming objectives related to tackling land degradation and drought under the upcoming GEF-9 strategy. The event will feature opening remarks from the UNCCD Deputy Executive Secretary, as well as speakers from Mexico and Djibouti sharing approaches and experiences in meeting their commitments under the UNCCD through GEF-funded projects. Youth and civil society stakeholders will also provide perspectives as actors and beneficiaries of GEF-funded projects. A facilitated discussion will allow participants to exchange lessons and challenges, with a view to informing how the GEF can address countries’ needs and contribute to a sustainable future on land. 📅 18 August 2026 | 13:00–14:30 📍 MET-05 Join the conversation at #GEFatLandCOP17 #GEF9 #UNCCDCOP17 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eS-f4zKE Ulrich Apel Asha Bobb-Semple Jean-Marc Sinnassamy Elinor Behlman UN Convention to Combat Desertification Andrea Meza Veena Balakrishnan Ana Di Pangracio Alma Vázquez-Lule Andrea Meza

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is on August 9 — and this year, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) wants to mark it by recognizing the leadership of Indigenous Peoples in caring for the planet's lands and waters, and the ongoing work of strengthening how environmental finance reaches their priorities.   At the recent GEF Assembly, Silole Malih, M., an Ilaikipiak Maasai Indigenous woman from IMPACT Kenya, a partner in the GEF-7 Inclusive Conservation Initiative, spoke on behalf of the GEF's Indigenous Peoples' Advisory Group — a body that sits at the table where GEF's financial commitments are shaped. Her words capture both the history behind that seat and the commitments now ahead: "For so long, less than one percent of global environmental finance reached Indigenous Peoples directly. Only one percent. A healthy planet is only possible when the rights and contributions of Indigenous Peoples are respected, and when we are genuine partners. That is now written into the commitments of this institution. At this 8th GEF Assembly, we celebrate the GEF-9 replenishment package:  • One hundred million dollars dedicated to the Indigenous Conservation Initiative. Four times what came before.   • A target of 20 percent of GEF financing will support actions by Indigenous Peoples and local communities across the entire GEF family of funds.    With the goal of a healthy planet for healthy people, we, Indigenous Peoples, commit to continue our leadership. With your trust, and with your support." That partnership isn't only a funding target, it's a relationship built on Indigenous Peoples' own leadership.. The Indigenous Conservation Initiative is already underway and the first GBFF projects are active. #IndigenousPeoplesDay #HealthyPlanet #GBFF #Biodiversity #IndigenousPeoples #WeAreIndigenous