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April 2007
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A Letter from the CEO
Dear Colleague: It is a pleasure to continue our conversation through this edition of Talking Points. Since the last edition of Talking Points, the GEF Council met in December in Washington, DC. As you may remember, at the Council meeting I pledged to revitalize the GEF and presented my vision for the GEF—a vision which I believe looks out beyond the immediate horizon toward the long-term future. My goal is make the GEF a leading force for sustainable development for all people. To accomplish this, we need to simplify the complexity of GEF’s bureaucracy and put in place a five-point Sustainability Compact composed of these elements: Strategy: Shifting from a project-driven to programmatic approach, including focusing the strategies on a clear set of priority issues for the global environment, building synergies, and applying a set of tracking tools and measurable indicators of global outcomes and impacts for all GEF projects Innovation: Using GEF funds as “seed money” for financing innovative and entrepreneurial efforts and technologies that lack a market base, allowing markets to develop technologies for wider use Equity: Leveling the global playing field, helping vulnerable countries get concrete results from the use of limited resources and finding ways to ensure that today’s beneficiaries increasingly have the opportunity to make financial contributions to the GEF Access: Appointing an “Ombudsman” in the GEF Secretariat to respond to country concerns or complaints; enhancing the effectiveness of such GEF corporate programs as the Small Grants Programme, National Dialogue Initiative, and Country Support Program and strengthening GEF’s corporate image and public communications Focus: Introducing a redesigned project cycle where a proposal takes, on average, no more than 22 months from identification to start of implementation, compared to the current 66 months I know that these transformations will not be easy. For them to come about, we will need help and commitment from all the partners of the GEF– Implementing and Executing Agencies, the Secretariat, the Council, and the governments. In the last few months, I have been traveling to view our GEF projects and strengthen our partnerships. In Montreal, Canada, I spoke at the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations. In India, I visited the Koratgere village to view an innovative GEF-UNDP biomass project, which is engaging village forest communities. In Honduras, I visited the Yapuwás and Corazón Project (Mesoamerican Biological Corridor) and met with esteemed members of the government and our partners working in country. In Algiers, Algeria, I participated in the United Nations University conference that concluded the International Year of Desert and Desertification. Seeing the GEF projects first-hand and meeting with our partners re-enforced for me how vital the GEF’s work is and how committed our partners are to a shared goal of sustainable development. In June, the GEF Council will be meeting in Washington. I look forward to perhaps seeing you at the meeting and working together on the rich and substantial agenda. As always, comments are very welcome. With best wishes, Monique Barbut
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