 |
November 2006 |
 |
I. Monique Barbut
Dear Colleague: It is a pleasure to be addressing you for the first time in “Talking Points,” the newsletter of the GEF family. I look forward to many more opportunities in the months ahead.
II. The next meeting of the GEF Council is scheduled to be held December 5-8, 2006 in Washington, DC. An NGO consultation will be held on December 4, 2006. III. The Third GEF Assembly was held in historic Cape Town, the “Mother City” of South Africa. The Government of South Africa, the Provincial Government, Ministry of Finance, and the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism were wonderful hosts of the Assembly. a. Frank Pinto - Executive Coordinator, UNDP-GEF Time seems to have flown by since the Third GEF Assembly in Cape Town, and before memories recede, it is useful to pause and reflect on that very successful event. b. The GEF Forum on Sustainable Land and Water Management, held prior to the Third GEF Assembly consisted of three symposia and a high-level round table attended by over 250 participants, including six African ministers and Heads of Agencies. c. “Turning Policy into Reality from the Ground Up” was the theme of the civil society forum held in Cape Town on August 28. The Forum’s themes included the impact of land degradation on people’s livelihoods and the environment; the climate and energy challenge; and biodiversity conservation. d. Looking back on the Assembly, the GEF Evaluation Office found it to be a vibrant week with a very positive atmosphere and successful talks on many issues. On the second day the Director, Rob D. van den Berg, reported on the Third Overall Performance Study of the GEF (OPS3) as well as more recent evaluations, highlighting positive results in the areas of biodiversity and climate change and optimistic projected contributions.
e. High-level
IV. Climate Change COP12 in Nairobi Up to 7,000 delegates from around the world attended the twelfth session of the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) in Nairobi, Kenya from November 6 to 17, 2006. The conference was the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa and was being held in conjunction with the second meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. Fourth Replenishment Tops $3.13 Billion - VI. At its June 2006 meeting, the GEF Council requested the Secretariat to (i) strengthen its outreach and communications with the Conventions in order to enhance the understanding of the RAF; (ii) report to the Council issues and challenges raised at the sub-regional consultations; and (iii) continue to monitor the implementation of the RAF and to report to the Council any relevant developments.
VIII. Meet Mehrunissa Bashir
Meet Ibrahima Sow Ibrahima has joined the GEF Secretariat as an environmental specialist in the Climate Change and Chemicals Team, to strengthen the work on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
New GEF Publications - November 2006 Linking Adaptation to Development Least Developed Countries Fund Special Climate Change Fund
Mario A. Ramos (1949-2006)
|
|
