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Partnership model: some Japanese fishing communities benefited from responsible resourcing. Photo: Marco Scotto/Shutterstock.

We can turn the tragedy of the global commons into an opportunity

The global commons are being pushed to breaking point, so coalitions are forming to protect them and to build lasting prosperity My country, Japan, was long dependent on fishing. In the past, every fisherman in a coastal community would be tempted to catch as much as possible. When everyone did so…
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Three quick lessons that teach us to love our forests

Forests are integral to our lives in complex ways that we are only beginning to understand. From reducing stress to carbon sequestering and climate regulation, they play a large role in our health and our planet’s health. March 21 is the International Day of Forests and this year’s theme centers on…
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The GEF’s Policy on Gender Equality, adopted in 2017, marks GEF’s increased ambition to collaborate with governments, the private sector, and civil society to catalyze projects and actions that have the potential to materialize greater environmental impact through gender-responsive approaches and results. Photo: Pierre-Yves Babelon/Shutterstock.

Celebrating women's contribution to global environmental sustainability

On International Women’s Day, GEF is celebrating women’s unique role in and contribution to safeguarding the global environment Addressing inequalities in areas like control over natural resources and participation in decision-making contribute to greater gender equality, help women play more…
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Working across production, financing and demand, the Good Growth Partnership convenes a wide range of stakeholders and initiatives to reduce deforestation and enable sustainable development in three global commodity supply chains: soy, beef and palm oil. Photo: Muhd Fuad Abd Rahim/Shutterstock.

How finance can reduce deforestation

“My sister is the one who got the finance degree and worked on Wall Street. When I finished school, I moved to Borneo to save the rainforests and orangutans.” I was joking at a recent meeting on financing of commodities supply chains organized by the GEF’s Good Growth Partnership (GGP). It was a…
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Congo Basin rainforest is a shared global asset that is critical to the planet’s health. And, like the increasingly rare great apes that inhabit it, this asset is in desperate need of protection. Photo: Sergey Uryadnikov/Shutterstock.

The Congo Basin is critical to the health of our planet

Lowland and swamp forests, forest savannas, and the mighty Congo river make up the 500 million acres of the Congo Basin, the second largest tropical rainforest on the planet. When standing below the trees, the vaulted canopy of leaves blocks out most of the sunlight and traps moisture making a trek…
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The Marshall Islands is convening an entirely online Virtual Summit of the Climate Vulnerable Forum on 22 November 2018. Photo: Shutterstock.

First-ever Virtual Climate Summit to urge for greater action on global warming

The world’s first-ever Virtual Climate Summit will take place tomorrow, November 22, to renew political momentum in tackling climate change. Announcing the summit at the 6th GEF Assembly in Da Nang Hilda Heine, the President of the Marshall Islands and Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF)…
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Our Ocean Conference 2018 was held in Bali this week to further global action on maintaining the sustainability of our oceans. Photo: Wonderful Nature/Shutterstock.

From political will to financial commitments: six stories illustrate the Our Ocean 2018 Conference in action

Our actions today have never had a bigger impact on our future than they do now. Under this premise the Our Ocean Conference 2018 was held in Bali this week to further global action on maintaining the sustainability of our oceans. Millions of people depend on ocean for their lives and livelihoods.…
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The Impact Programs on Food Systems, Land Use, and Restoration; Sustainable Cities; and Sustainable Forest Management collectively address key drivers of environmental degradation and offer the potential for the GEF to contribute to systemic change. Photo: Oliver S./Shutterstock.

Supporting innovation for transformation: GEF’s new Impact Programs to tackle the drivers of environmental degradation in an integrated way

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) faces a demanding yet seemingly attainable task: to help countries foster a transformation in how individuals, communities, and businesses use and protect the natural word. But nothing less will suffice if we are to meet pressing environmental…
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Zero Hunger world is within reach, but we must work together to achieve it

Today, on World Food Day, the global community is mobilizing to reach a Zero Hunger world. With a changing climate, inequality, and rapid population growth the challenges we face on the way seem insurmountable. However, with governments, private sector and individuals working together, we can…
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Burkina Faso is currently developing a strategy to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) based on improving land use planning, securing land rights, improving management of agro-sylvo-pastoral systems, and building capacity. Photo: CAD Productions.

Unlocking economic growth through integrated natural resource planning and governance

Burkina Faso, a landlocked country in the West African Sahel, includes sparse and dry forests, woodlands, wooded and shrub savannas, and a large desert area to the North. The country relies heavily on agriculture, yet faces shrinking arable land and increasing soil degradation. Enhancing factors…

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