The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has approved a new $77.6 million funding package to support 11 projects across 10 countries, with implementation support from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).<\/p>\n
The financing is expected to unlock more than $400 million in co-financing, helping countries translate climate and biodiversity commitments into scalable and investment-ready solutions. The projects will support five countries in Africa, four in Asia and the Pacific, and one in Central Asia.<\/p>\n
Nearly one-third of the approved funding, or $23 million, will be provided through the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), both managed by the GEF.<\/p>\n
Projects in Guinea-Bissau and Senegal will support climate resilience efforts, building on UNDP\u2019s long-standing partnerships and presence across all 44 Least Developed Countries.<\/p>\n
In Niue, a project jointly led by Conservation International will focus on strengthening climate resilience, protecting biodiversity, and securing long-term financing for ocean conservation.<\/p>\n
The newly approved GEF Trust Fund projects will support a range of environmental priorities across multiple regions.<\/p>\n
In southern Africa, projects in Zimbabwe and Botswana will focus on harnessing natural capital and unlocking biodiversity potential, while Eritrea will receive support to restore degraded land.<\/p>\n
In Asia, initiatives will strengthen climate resilience in the Philippines, conserve globally significant biodiversity in Malaysia, and accelerate community-led integrated landscape management in India through a joint effort with IUCN.<\/p>\n
In Central Asia, a project in Kyrgyzstan will support the sustainable management of water resources.<\/p>\n
Through the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF), an additional project in India, jointly led with the World Bank, will support biodiversity targets and strengthen nature-positive development goals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe GEF has been an instrumental partner of UNDP since 1991, fast-tracking progress on critical environmental targets,\u201d said Marcos Neto, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP\u2019s Bureau for Policy and Program Support.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will leverage our trusted partnerships, building upon decades of work rooted in the community and at a global level, to catalyze these investments so that they go further. Our priority is now to act with urgency. We are committed to ensuring that these solutions continue to deliver real results at scale, while leaving no one, and no country, behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
The newly approved financing strengthens UNDP\u2019s wider commitments under its Climate Promise and Nature Pledge initiatives.<\/p>\n