When world leaders, ministers and environmental champions gather for the Eighth Global Environment Facility (GEF) Assembly, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will be there – not just as a participant, but as a partner with three decades of proven experience delivering results.
The GEF Assembly is one of the most significant moments in the global environmental calendar, bringing together governments, financial institutions and implementing agencies to take stock of what has been achieved and chart the course ahead. For UNEP, this assembly is an opportunity to reflect on a partnership spanning over 30 years – a partnership that has transformed environmental ambition into action through more than 1,000 projects in 160 countries, all dedicated to tackling the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature loss and pollution.
Together with the GEF, UNEP has helped prevent 77 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, restored 6.5 million hectares of degraded land, protected 1.1 million hectares of marine ecosystems, and supported 70 countries in strengthening their chemicals and waste policies over the last eight years alone. These are not just statistics. They represent communities made more resilient to climate shocks, ecosystems brought back from the brink, and countries equipped with the science and resources to act.
"The GEF has been a cornerstone financing mechanism for translating global environmental commitments into real-world results,” said Kelly West, Executive Coordinator, UNEP Global Funds Section. “UNEP's confidence in the GEF remains unwavering. It is a vehicle that channels resources where they are most needed and it delivers."
At the GEF Assembly, UNEP's exhibition booth brings to life human impact stories from the field. Short videos and testimonies offer a window into the real-world results of the UNEP-GEF partnership, ranging from restored landscapes to cleaner communities and more resilient coastlines.
As the assembly opens a new chapter with GEF-9, UNEP stands fully committed to deepening this partnership, bringing its scientific expertise, policy leadership and implementation capacity to bear on the challenges ahead.
Join UNEP at the GEF Assembly: Side Events
UNEP will be hosting and co-hosting a series of side events across the assembly week. All are open to assembly participants.
Unlocking Finance and Technology Through Climate Transparency: Wednesday 3 June, 15:00 to 16:00 UZT | Agate
Strengthening Country Platforms and Private Financial Sector Readiness as Foundations for Blended Climate-Nature Finance: Thursday 4 June, 12:30 to 13:30 UZT | Ballroom
From Commitment to Capital: Mobilizing Finance and Private Sector Engagement to End Plastic Pollution: Thursday 4 June, 15:30 to 16:30 UZT | Zircon
Food Waste: Creating Green Jobs, Food Security and Environmental Benefits Through Circular Solutions and Behavioural Change: Thursday 4 June, 18:30 to 19:30 UZT | Ballroom
Gender at the Nexus of Pollution, Social and Climate Action: Case Studies from UNIDO and UNEP: Friday 5 June, 13:30 to 14:30 UZT | Emerald
Blueing Two Seas - Innovation and Partnership for Transboundary Waters: Friday 5 June, 15:00 to 16:00 UZT | Emerald
