News

Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2 June 2025 — In an effort to strengthen global efforts on mercury monitoring and control, a weeklong series of technical trainings and coordination events is underway from 2–6 June 2025 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The initiative brings together customs and enforcement authorities, government representatives, health and environment experts, and international partners to support the effective implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

Washington D.C., 2 June 2025 – The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has announced USD29.7m for three new UN Environment Programme (UNEP) led projects during its 69th Council meeting. The projects aim to deliver practical solutions to pressing environmental challenges, including tackling pollution and enhancing climate transparency.  

Once upon a time, in the vibrant lands of Morocco and Lebanon, two nations embarked on an extraordinary journey to protect their precious water resources. Their story is one of innovation, resilience, and unity, overcoming challenges and driving a vision for a sustainable future.

The story of Morocco

The 2025 BRS COP (Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions) took place from April 28 to May 9, 2025, under the theme "Making the Invisible Visible." This powerful message highlights often-overlooked forms of pollution that silently impact our world, emphasizing the need for collective action to address these challenges. The significance of this COP was underscored by the participation of the heads of seven multilateral environmental agreements, reflecting the growing recognition that environmental crises cannot be tackled in isol

ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA – After six years, the planetGOLD Mongolia project officially concludes, marking a significant milestone in eliminating mercury use in Mongolia’s artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector.

In the steep red hills of the Ngororero district in northwest Rwanda, Antoine Nsanzumuhire gently lifts a honeycomb from one of his beehives. Bees are swirling around him as he delicately lifts the latticework, rich in golden honey. 

Geneva, 12 May 2025 – Over 50 representatives from Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are gathering at the Palais des Nations in Geneva for the first in-person ISLANDS Forum to strengthen sound management of chemicals and waste in these uniquely vulnerable nations.

Vienna, 7 May 2025 – Hosted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in its Austrian premises, the Global Environment Facility (GEF)’s third Agencies Communications Retreat brought together over 30 participants representing UN agencies, multilateral development banks and non-governmental organizations in Vienna from 5 to 6 May 2025.

The GEF is a family of funds for the environment. It is also a financial mechanism for 6 multilateral conventions that are implemented through technical cooperation activities by UNIDO and 17 other agencies...

When passengers step out of the arrivals’ terminal at Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaría International Airport, there’s a chance they’ll be greeted by what is a rare sight in Central America: an electric taxi. 

The bright red sedans—of which there are six—whir passengers to the nearby Costa Rican capital, San Jose, and other parts of the country.   

The first-ever formal loan program for artisanal miners in #BurkinaFaso 🇧🇫 launched earlier this year through a collaboration between the planetGOLD project and

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

The GEF funded Mediterranean Sea Programme (MedProgramme) is more than a collection of projects; it’s a powerful force for change, bringing together countries, partners, and sectors to drive environmental progress.

At the Third Annual Stocktaking Meeting (ASM) in Istanbul, Türkiye, participants gathered to reflect on achievements, share knowledge, and explore new ways to amplify impact under the theme “The MedProgramme: Greater than the Sum of its Parts”.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are our "Worst Friends Forever" (WFF). These organic chemicals persist in the environment for extended periods, spreading through air, water, and soil. They accumulate in living organisms and pose significant toxic risks to both humans and the environment.

To combat these dangers, scientists and governments have united under the Stockholm Convention. This collaboration aims to monitor these pollutants and safeguard human health and the environment from their harmful impact.

For much of the last decade, Somalia has tipped in and out of drought, with dry spells withering rivers, turning farms into dustbowls and forcing millions from their homes. 

With waves rippling from its bow, a small motorboat shoots across the languid Gambia River, the rat-tattle of its outboard motor echoing out across the waterway.  

This week, delegates from around the world will gather in New York City to discuss what has been called one of the most important environmental accords in recent history: the Agreement on Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (

The sun has set in Johannesburg, South Africa and Nntuthuzelo Ndwandwa, 39, is returning home from her job as a customer care consultant. When once she would have glanced nervously into the shadows, now she walks through a complex illuminated by solar-powered lights and enters her home, where a solar-powered heater doles out warm water for washing up. 

Uşak, a city of 500,000 residents in western Türkiye, is famous for its brightly coloured wool rugs, known as kilims. Once made largely by hand, today the tapestries are created by a battery of machines.  

While it is faster than hand-weaving, the equipment has a downside. It is driven by power-hungry electric motors, many of which are decades old and inefficient.  

Women make up 30% of the global artisanal and small-scale gold mining workforce, and they have critical roles to play in the movement to #MakeMercuryHistory & to safeguard communities from unsafe mining practices. Projects in the planetGOLD programme promote the participation and advancement of women who choose to work in this mining sector in order to provide for themselves and their families.

As the planet warms, the fallout from climate change – from droughts, to floods, to superstorms – is getting worse. But not everyone has felt the pain equally. This imbalance is tied to longstanding inequalities: women often shoulder more domestic care responsibilities, have less access to resources, such as land or credit, and are underrepresented in decision-making spaces. 

Dar es Salaam, 26 February 2025 – The governments of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zambia have launched a five-year project to assess and address transboundary threats to the biodiversity of the Lake Tanganyika Basin. The initiative will protect core conservation zones in three identified protected areas and promote sustainable natural resource use in protected areas and their buffer zones.  

In the heart of the Indian state of Rajasthan, two farmers - Devaram from Jeoli village, Nechwa, and Hanumana Ram from Sulkhaniya village, Ratangarh - are leading the way in conserving traditional landraces of pearl millet.

Miriam Abarca is standing on a wooden platform overlooking the Cahuil Lagoon, a small, salty pine-fringed body of water on Chile’s central coast. In the distance, birds weave through waist-high reeds and tourists paddle a rowboat over the lagoon’s placid surface. 

December 20, 2024 - The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has announced a commitment of $99.8 million in funding for UNEP initiatives aimed at delivering substantial environmental benefits. This funding, announced during the 68th GEF Council, will support projects focused on addressing the crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss and pollution and waste. 

Nestled in the heart of Hubei Province, China’s Shennongjia National Park has become a beacon of hope for conservationists, nature lovers and those dedicated to restoring the delicate balance of ecosystems.  

Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe join forces in a new project to reduce the releases of Persistent Organic Pollutants from plastics. Chemicals with hazardous properties are added to plastic products and released throughout their lifecycle, negatively impacting human health and the environment, and hampering efforts towards a circular economy transition. The US$ 90-million initiative will support an approa