Uploaded August 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
New and inclusive strategies that combine conservation action with engagement of development organizations, the private sector, and civil society will be needed if we are to transform the major economic systems that are driving environmental degradation. The development of a new trust fund under the GEF, the GBF Fund, provides one example of how the public and private sectors can come together to leverage funding towards positive environmental outcomes. The cost to implement the Paris Agreement and the recently approved GBF is astronomical, reaching $100s of billions of dollars per year. Achieving this target cannot depend on official development assistance (ODA) alone but requires collective effort from the public and private sector, including repurposing existing funding. During this plenary session, experts will present their experiences implementing strategies to unlock financing beyond simply more ODA to implement global agreements, including examples of successful re-purposing of subsidies and harmful incentives, structuring of green bonds, PES, and blended finance, highlighting innovations that are ripe for GEF engagement and future investment.
Moderator
Chizuru Aoki, Lead Environmental Specialist, GEF
Disruption Speaker
Valerie Hickey, Global Director for Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy, World Bank
Panel Members
Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary, UNCCD
Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP
Cristián Samper, Managing Director and Leader for Nature Solutions, Bezos Earth Fund
Helen Crowley, Managing Director, Pollination
Achim Steiner, Administrator, UNDP
Lori Kerr, CEO, FinDev Canada
Gerd Müller, Director General, UNIDO
ABOUT THE SEVENTH GEF ASSEMBLY
Environmental leaders from 186 countries will gather in Vancouver, Canada for the Seventh Assembly of the Global Environment Facility from August 22-26. Building on recent diplomatic breakthroughs on biodiversity loss, toxic chemicals, and the high seas, the GEF Assembly will be a critical stocktaking for 2030 goals to end pollution and nature loss, combat climate change, and propel inclusive, locally-led conservation.
Learn more at assembly.thegef.org
ABOUT US
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems.
Website: thegef.org
Follow us on social media
Twitter: twitter.com/theGEF
Facebook: facebook.com/TheGEF1
Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/global-environment-facility
New and inclusive strategies that combine conservation action with engagement of development organizations, the private sector, and civil society will be needed if we are to transform the major economic systems that are driving environmental degradation. The development of a new trust fund under the GEF, the GBF Fund, provides one example of how the public and private sectors can come together to leverage funding towards positive environmental outcomes. The cost to implement the Paris Agreement and the recently approved GBF is astronomical, reaching $100s of billions of dollars per year. Achieving this target cannot depend on official development assistance (ODA) alone but requires collective effort from the public and private sector, including repurposing existing funding. During this plenary session, experts will present their experiences implementing strategies to unlock financing beyond simply more ODA to implement global agreements, including examples of successful re-purposing of subsidies and harmful incentives, structuring of green bonds, PES, and blended finance, highlighting innovations that are ripe for GEF engagement and future investment.
Moderator
Chizuru Aoki, Lead Environmental Specialist, GEF
Disruption Speaker
Valerie Hickey, Global Director for Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy, World Bank
Panel Members
Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary, UNCCD
Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP
Cristián Samper, Managing Director and Leader for Nature Solutions, Bezos Earth Fund
Helen Crowley, Managing Director, Pollination
Achim Steiner, Administrator, UNDP
Lori Kerr, CEO, FinDev Canada
Gerd Müller, Director General, UNIDO
ABOUT THE SEVENTH GEF ASSEMBLY
Environmental leaders from 186 countries will gather in Vancouver, Canada for the Seventh Assembly of the Global Environment Facility from August 22-26. Building on recent diplomatic breakthroughs on biodiversity loss, toxic chemicals, and the high seas, the GEF Assembly will be a critical stocktaking for 2030 goals to end pollution and nature loss, combat climate change, and propel inclusive, locally-led conservation.
Learn more at assembly.thegef.org
ABOUT US
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems.
Website: thegef.org
Follow us on social media
Twitter: twitter.com/theGEF
Facebook: facebook.com/TheGEF1
Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/global-environment-facility
