Scoop: US makes priorities known at Global Environment Facility talks

A representative of the United States Treasury Department participated in a meeting to structure the ninth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility, or GEF, despite the U.S. government shutdown, an anonymous source with inside information of the meetings told Devex, adding that the chance of continued contributions from the U.S. sounded “positive but not certain.” GEF is one of the world’s main multilateral funds for environmental protection and sustainable development. It is a coalition of 186 member countries, as well as international institutions, civil society organizations, and the private sector. Hillary Clifford, an international economist in the U.S. Treasury Department, told GEF members that the U.S. does not want to increase the amount it pays toward climate change in GEF, but instead focus on biodiversity, plastics, illegal fisheries, and Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, or BBNJ, which refers to marine life and ocean ecosystems that span multiple countries, according to the source. Clifford, who started in the Treasury Department last year but has worked in the U.S. State Department since 2013, attended the meeting by video call. This meeting, which was held from Oct. 7-9 in Kasane, Botswana, is the second of four gatherings where governments and partners decide how to structure the facility’s ninth replenishment, or GEF-9, which will begin in J​​uly 2026 and end in June 2030. Commitments will be made at the final meeting next March. According to a draft document seen by Devex, negotiators are looking at putting 32%-36% of funds toward biodiversity, 13%-16% toward climate change mitigation, 11%-13% toward sustainable land management and stopping degradation, 15-17% toward eliminating harmful chemicals and waste, and 10%-14% toward managing shared water resources, fisheries, and water pollution. The anonymous source told Devex that these are not drastic changes from GEF-8 — the current funding structure, but added that there could be a dip in contributions as the U.S. and France may both give less this year. Blended finance, as well as nongrant instruments such as loans, equity, and guarantees were a key topic of discussion this week, the source said. This is in line with a general trend throughout the development industry to focus more on public-private partnerships as public aid becomes less reliable. The source added that “most are open to [these instruments]” but have a different perspective on the percentages. Some countries called for 10% of the funding to come from blended finance or nongrant instruments, while others advocated for 3%–5%. There was also discussion about whether, and how, the agency should expand. Canada called for a new accredited agency that works exclusively with Indigenous people. Others called for reducing the concentration of shares. Overall, GEF is made up of 18 implementing agencies. The United Nations Development Programme, or UNDP, manages around 30% of GEF projects. Many members called for the UNDP to hold a smaller share of between 15% to 25%. Supporters of the GEF are hoping it can be an apolitical option for environmental action in a time when the U.S. is aggressively opposing climate change commitments. “In uncertain times, it is extremely important that we’re able to give hope for a brighter future,” said GEF CEO and chair Carlos Manuel Rodríguez in a press release. “The GEF, and this crucial ninth replenishment, can be a source of hope and optimism to help achieve global environmental goals and live in harmony with nature.”