Anupam Anand is an Evaluation Officer at the GEF Independent Evaluation Office (IEO). He is also an avid photographer and an expert on satellite technology. In an interview, he reflected on the powerful ways that technology can advance our knowledge of environmental trends and help identify solutions in a fast-changing world.
What does your work at the GEF Independent Evaluation Office entail?
Representatives of the GEF’s member governments gathered virtually Sept. 29 - Oct. 1, 2021, to review proposed plans for the multilateral trust fund in its eighth funding cycle. Donor support for the GEF helps developing countries meet international environmental obligations and advance progress toward global goals on biodiversity, climate change, harmful chemicals, and more.
To address barriers to the transition to a circular economy, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is launching a new program, called the “Circular Economy Regional Initiative,” in Turkey and the Western Balkans.
Nine Caribbean nations have joined forces in the fight for a toxic-free future for the region, with the launch of the $11 million Caribbean ISLANDS project today.
Together, the countries are set to eliminate over 400 tonnes of contaminated material and avoid the release of more than 150,000 tonnes of marine litter.
Joint statement of support by the Global Environment Facility, United Nations Development Programme, and United Nations Environment Programme
Tshewang Dorji is an environmental engineer from Bhutan who works to help countries prepare for and cope with climate change with support from the GEF’s Least Developed Countries Fund and Special Climate Change Fund. In an interview, he shared why this work is meaningful to him.
What does your role as GEF Climate Change Specialist entail?
Monika Stankiewicz is Executive Secretary of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, an international treaty aimed at preventing harmful exposure to mercury – a neurotoxic metal that is frequently emitted to the air and released to the water and land. In an interview, she explained how improved chemicals management can help global efforts to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, and shared what she finds meaningful about working in environmental diplomacy.
What do you do for a living?
The Global Environment Facility has approved a $15 million commitment, provided through its partner Conservation International, to the Food Securities Fund – an innovative new source of funding that is supporting increased transparency and accountability in agricultural value chains.
The Food Securities Fund, launched in March 2021, provides working capital loans to sustainable agriculture companies in emerging markets.
Today, at Climate Week NYC 2021, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Global Environment Facility (GEF), and partners launched UrbanShift – a new global initiative to improve lives and transform cities into green and liveable spaces that address climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
The GEF took part in the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2020, held in Marseille, France from September 3-11, 2021.
The IUCN Congress urged governments to implement a nature-based recovery from the pandemic, investing at least 10% of global recovery funds in nature, and adopted a series of resolutions and commitments to urgently address the interlinked climate and biodiversity crises.
