15 November 2012: The 43rd Meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council adopted a Work Program that amounts to US$174 million and aims to benefit 63 countries.
The Council convened in Washington, DC, US, from 13-15 November 2012, at International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters. Representatives of governments, international organizations and civil society organizations (CSOs) attended the three-day meeting, which also included the 13th meeting of the Council for the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) and Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF). The meetings were preceded by consultations with CSOs on 12 November.
A keynote address by Francisco Gaetani, Vice-Minister of Environment, Brazil, helped set the stage for a discussion on the long-term vision for the GEF. Aram Harutyunyan, Minister of Nature Protection, Armenia, and Rachel Kyte, Vice President for Sustainable Development, World Bank, also contributed remarks to frame this discussion. The Council also heard messages from the heads of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.
Projects and programs in the Work Program relevant to coral reef/marine biodiversity include: Development of a National Network of Terrestrial and Marine Protected Areas Representative of the Comoros’ Unique Natural Heritage and Co-managed With Local Village Communities (UNDP); Conserving Biodiversity and Reducing Habitat Degradation in Protected Areas and their Buffer Zones in Saint Kitts And Nevis (UNDP). In addition, the Council approved several “multi focal area” projects and programs with biodiversity components, including on: Implementing a “Ridge to Reef” Approach to Protecting Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functions within and Around Protected Areas in Grenada (UNDP).
Source: Biodiversity Policy & Practice