Sixth GEF Assembly to be held in Da Nang

GEF CEO and Chairperson Naoko Ishii said a majority of donors have stepped up their support for the GEF, signaling the urgency of the global environmental agenda, and trust in the GEF to help tackle the problem and achieve even greater results.

The 6th GEF Assembly will attract the participation of nearly 1,500 delegates, including the ministers in charge of environment and senior officials from 183 member countries, leaders of the United Nations agencies, regional development banks, socio-economic organisations and businesses.

The opening plenary sessions on June 27 will cover the state of the global environment, the ambition needed to help transform the systems that support how we live, how we eat, how we move, how we produce and consume, and how implementation of GEF-7 can contribute to the necessary systems change.

Fourteen interactive high-level round tables will dig deeper into new themes in GEF-7 and other global environment issues. Each round table will feature well-known speakers and interventions from ministers, to discuss the challenge, what needs to be done, and how the GEF and others can address the problem.

The GEF Assembly will be preceded by the 54th GEF Council Meeting on June 24-26 and the 24th Least Developed Countries Fund/Special Climate Change Fund Council Meeting and a Civil Society Forum on June 26.

There is an opportunity to visit GEF projects surrounding Da Nang on June 29. The week will also feature numerous side events and exhibitions. 

The GEF Assembly will review and adopt directions and solutions to current global environment issues, and allocate resources for environment projects during the GEF’s 7th cycle (GEF 7) from 2018-2022. 

Nearly 30 countries have committed US$4.1 billion  to the GEF 7 to better protect the future of the planet and human health.

The 6th GEF Assembly will also convey a message of Viet Nam’s strong commitment to sustainable development, especially in delivering on international commitments on environment to which Viet Nam is a member. 

In addition, it will offer Viet Nam a chance to foster bilateral and multilateral cooperation, seek opportunities to receive financial and technological support, and strengthen capacity in the fields of climate change response, biodiversity, chemicals, land degradation, sustainable forest management, popularisation of Vietnamese tourism, culture and people.

Held every four years, the GEF Assembly brings together environment ministers and other senior officials from its 183 member countries, along with heads of UN agencies, regional development backs, civil society organizations and business leaders to share ideas, solutions and actions needed to protect the global environment.

                                                                                                                                    By Vien Nhu