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November 2007
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A Letter from the CEO
Dear Colleague: Here in Washington, fall is underway with the leaves turning shades of gold, orange, and red. At the GEF, we have a number of important developments underway: the GEF-Pacific Alliance, preparations for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, and the November Council meeting. The GEF-Pacific Alliance: To intensify its efforts to help the islands of the Pacific, the GEF is offering a new GEF-Pacific Alliance for sustainability through a proposed Multi-Focal GEF Program for Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The World Bank will take the lead as implementing agency for the initiative, working together with the GEF Secretariat. The total GEF funding available for this program for three years is proposed to be approximately $100 million, a nearly six-fold increase on an annual basis. For more information on this vital program, please see the article in this edition of Talking Points. (click here for link to article) United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali As UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer notes, the emphasis of the Bali meeting will be on reaching an international agreement to follow the end of the Kyoto Protocol’s first commitment period, which concludes in 2012. The “Bali roadmap” would establish the process to work on the key building blocks of a future climate change regime, including adaptation, mitigation, technology cooperation, and financing the response to climate change. For the GEF, one of the main agenda items at the Bali meeting will be the management of the Adaptation Fund (AF). The GEF is currently the only organization that has made a formal submission to the UNFCCC Secretariat for the management of the AF. We have written a paper that summarizes the UNFCCC COP and COP/MOP decisions on the AF, provides a synopsis of GEF’s submissions on the AF to the UNFCCC, synthesizes previously approved Council decisions on the AF, and proposes a new decision. November Council Meeting The November Council meeting will focus on the new GEF Work Program. Although the work program presented to the Council is the third for GEF-4, it is the first work program to be subject to the new project cycle approved by the Council in June 2007. It consists of three programmatic approaches to deliver GEF-4’s strategic objectives. It also reflects an expansion in the way the GEF pursues global environmental benefits by screening projects that best fit with the approved Council strategies and provides an overall portfolio effect for the work program. The portfolio effect will become more evident over the course of GEF-4 when additional projects enter the work program to complement the ones already approved. The proposed work program consists of two country-level programs and one overarching strategic program (which includes 12 concepts PIFs and one fixed amount program PIF), plus 27 free-standing Another issue for discussion at the November Council meeting is the new GEF Communications Strategy. In response to a Council request, the Secretariat has developed a communications strategy to improve the GEF’s accessibility. The new strategy paper focuses on strengthening GEF’s corporate image and public communications. It is built on one goal: repositioning the GEF as a leading voice for the global environment. The Council is invited to review and approve the proposed strategy. The Secretariat is requested to proceed with implementation of the strategy in consultation with GEF partners. The Secretariat is also asked to report back to the Council on outcomes in November 2009. At the Council meeting, we will also be discussing the operational policies and guidelines for the use of nongrant instruments in the GEF. We are presenting a paper that reviews the GEF’s experience in using nongrant instruments. The paper finds that clear policies and guidance are needed for the use of nongrant instruments that will allow the GEF to better meet the evolving and differentiated needs of recipient countries. As an initial framework for the use of nongrant instruments, the GEF is proposing ground rules to strengthen and support an expanded use of nongrant instruments. I look forward to seeing many of you at the November Council meeting and perhaps in Bali and discussing the matters above. As always, your comments and ideas are very welcome. With best wishes, Monique Barbut
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