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Committee and political group meetings, Brussels

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Selon le parti écologiste belge Ecolo, le manque d'intérêt pour un accès élargi s'explique par le fait que le grand public n'est pas suffisamment sensibilisé aux avantages d'une plus grande ouverture du site

The post Serres royales de Bruxelles : grilles ouvertes mais un débat timide sur l’accès appeared first on Euractiv FR.

Le dirigeant hongrois, désormais écarté, est prêt à redevenir « capitaine de l'équipe » et à « mener les garçons jusqu'au centre du terrain » – si son parti, le Fidesz, l'accepte

The post Orbán se confie sur sa « douleur » et son « sentiment de vide » appeared first on Euractiv FR.

Le cessez-le-feu tiendra-t-il et les efforts diplomatiques se poursuivront-ils, ou l'Iran et les États-Unis se dirigent-ils vers une escalade contrôlée, voire vers une guerre plus vaste ?

« Sans crainte. En Europe, maîtres dans notre propre maison » : tel est le slogan

The post Les « Patriotes » cherchent à redorer leur blason après plusieurs revers appeared first on Euractiv FR.

La filiale régionale de la compagnie aérienne allemande devrait cesser ses activités d'ici deux jours

The post Lufthansa invoque la flambée des prix du kérosène pour justifier la suppression de ses liaisons CityLine appeared first on Euractiv FR.

L'administration de Donald Trump reproche à l'Europe de ne pas lutter suffisamment contre l'antisémitisme

The post Les États-Unis envisagent d’exclure certains politiciens européens de la Coupe du monde pour « antisémitisme » appeared first on Euractiv FR.

Également dans l'édition de vendredi : Coupe du monde de la FIFA, pénurie de carburant, application de vérification de l'âge, relations UE-Malaisie, détroit d'Ormuz

The post « Maîtres » de la place appeared first on Euractiv FR.

Written by Issam Hallak

Obstacles to businesses’ cross-border operations and expansion constitute a major hurdle to an effective single market. The International Monetary Fund estimates that persistent barriers to the single market represent the equivalent of a 44 % and 110 % tariff on goods and services, respectively. The Letta report emphasised that a single business code would be a ‘game-changer’, making all business procedures – from establishment to end of activity – smoother and more transparent.

To address this issue, the European Commission published a proposal on 18 March 2026 for a regulation establishing the 28th regime corporate legal framework that introduces a new legal entity, EU Inc. Any company would be able to register in any Member State and opt in to the EU Inc. company form. The framework would allow quick, fully digital registration that is automatically valid across the whole EU, thereby benefiting the operations and expansion of EU Inc. businesses. In addition, the proposal provides for a single tax treatment of employee remuneration through stocks and enables employee participation schemes. It also provides for fast-track termination of solvent companies, and a legal framework for winding up insolvent small and young innovative companies, known as start-ups.

Parliament adopted a resolution in January 2026 supporting the approach but remained cautious about its chances of success.

Read the complete briefing on ‘The 28th regime corporate legal framework‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

La victoire de Péter Magyar en Hongrie relance une question sensible en Macédoine du Nord : celle du retour de l'ancien Premier ministre Nikola Gruevski. Son éventuelle extradition pourrait devenir un test majeur pour l'État de droit et la stabilité politique du pays.

- Articles / Une - Diaporama, Défense, police et justice, Macédoine du Nord, Relations régionales, Courrier des Balkans, Politique Macédoine

La victoire de Péter Magyar en Hongrie relance une question sensible en Macédoine du Nord : celle du retour de l'ancien Premier ministre Nikola Gruevski. Son éventuelle extradition pourrait devenir un test majeur pour l'État de droit et la stabilité politique du pays.

- Articles / Une - Diaporama, Défense, police et justice, Macédoine du Nord, Relations régionales, Courrier des Balkans, Politique Macédoine

Une exposition en plein air sur les massacres de la guerre a été retirée de la rue piétonne de Pristina, après avoir provoqué de vives polémiques. Au-delà des accusations et des récupérations politiques, le Kosovo est toujours incapable de faire face à cette mémoire douloureuse. Point de vue.

- Articles / Histoire, Une - Diaporama - En premier, Kosovo, Culture et éducation, Une - Diaporama, Kosovo 2.0, Bombardements OTAN

Une exposition en plein air sur les massacres de la guerre a été retirée de la rue piétonne de Pristina, après avoir provoqué de vives polémiques. Au-delà des accusations et des récupérations politiques, le Kosovo est toujours incapable de faire face à cette mémoire douloureuse. Point de vue.

- Articles / Histoire, Une - Diaporama - En premier, Kosovo, Culture et éducation, Une - Diaporama, Kosovo 2.0, Bombardements OTAN

Une exposition en plein air sur les massacres de la guerre a été retirée de la rue piétonne de Pristina, après avoir provoqué de vives polémiques. Au-delà des accusations et des récupérations politiques, le Kosovo est toujours incapable de faire face à cette mémoire douloureuse. Point de vue.

- Articles / Histoire, Une - Diaporama - En premier, Kosovo, Culture et éducation, Une - Diaporama, Kosovo 2.0, Bombardements OTAN

A crew member with The Greater Cape Town Water Fund looks out over the landscape where the team is working to remove invasive alien plants for improved water security. Credit: Roshni Lodhia/ The Nature Conservancy

By Louise Stafford
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Apr 16 2026 (IPS)

In 2018, Cape Town came perilously close to becoming the first major city in the world to run out of water. Known as “Day Zero”, it was more than just a crisis, it marked a pivotal moment. It made clear that water insecurity is not a distant threat, but an immediate reality.

It also revealed something equally important, water security depends not only on built infrastructure, such as dams, desalination plants and groundwater extraction, but on the health of the natural systems that sustain them. Ecological infrastructure – our catchments, rivers and wetlands – is as essential as the roads we travel and the grids that power our homes.

South Africa is in a period of structural water scarcity. According to the National Water and Sanitation Master Plan, the country could face a water deficit of up to 17% by 2030. Much of the focus has rightly been on failing built infrastructure, such as non-revenue water, ageing infrastructure, and wastewater discharge into rivers. But an equally critical, and often overlooked, part of the problem lies upstream.

Degraded catchments, driven by poor land management, erosion, invasive alien plants, river diversion, and the loss of wetlands and riparian areas, are undermining the very systems that produce and regulate water.

The Hidden Drain on South Africa’s Water

The impact of alien tree invasions on our water resources is not unknown in South Africa. Multiple scientific studies emphasized the scale of the problem. The invasion of catchment areas by alien tree species, such as pine and Australian acacias, has a significant effect on streamflow. They reduce South Africa’s water availability by an estimated 1.4 billion cubic metres every year, enough to irrigate between 140,000 and 280,000 hectares of farmland according to WWF-SA, drawing on research by the CSIR and partners.

That is water that could otherwise sustain crops, support rural economies, households and strengthen national food security. In the greater Cape Town region, these species consume around 55 million cubic metres annually, roughly equivalent to two months of the City of Cape Town’s water supply.

South Africa has taken important steps to address alien plant invasions through programmes like Working for Water and through the efforts of landowners. However, these initiatives face persistent challenges such as limited funding, uneven prioritisation, and interruptions in implementation that reduce long-term effectiveness.

Restoring catchments requires continuity and scale. Traditional public budgets cannot keep up. Short-term grants and project‑based funding cycles are mismatched with the long‑term reality of managing and restoring South Africa’s catchments. Catchments do not operate on three-year budget cycles. They require decades of commitment. To secure our water future, we must rethink how we value and finance the ecological infrastructure that underpins our economy.

Science Meets Implementation: A Proven Model

The Water Fund model has added a valuable new option to address catchment restoration. South Africa’s first, the Greater Cape Town Water Fund (GCTWF), provides compelling proof that investing in ecological infrastructure and prioritizing headwaters deliver measurable results. Over the past seven years, with support of the private sector and City of Cape Town, over 40,000 hectares have been cleared of invasive alien plants priority catchments. Importantly, the cleared areas have been followed up multiple times to prevent regrowth.

This work increases water flows into dams of the Western Cape Water Supply System by 36 million cubic meters per year. The benefits extend far beyond water. The programme creates job opportunities, reduces wildfire risk, and supports the recovery of native fynbos and freshwater ecosystems — while building resilience to climate change.

The Greater Cape Town Water Fund demonstrates that ecological infrastructure can deliver reliable, measurable returns. Yet scaling this model has been constrained by one persistent challenge namely predictable funding to plan and reach the set target of clearing 54,300 hectares to replenish the water losses.

Rethinking How We Fund Water Security

What about a new funding approach? One that can crowd in private capital while ensuring accountability for results and bridging the gap between short term and sustainable funding. This is the foundation of the FRB Cape water performance-based bond, developed through a partnership between Rand Merchant Bank and The Nature Conservancy.

The Cape Water Performance-based Bond, a first of its kind financial instrument designed to unlock non‑traditional funding sources and secure a consistent five‑year funding stream to accelerate invasive plant control in priority catchments of the Greater Cape Town region. This marks an important milestone not only for Cape Town but for South Africa as a whole, a shift toward mobilizing capital markets to invest in nature at scale.

Accountability is built in. Rigorous monitoring and data collection tracks delivery and ensures a positive return on investment. “Clearly demonstrating what an investment has achieved is the backbone of impact finance. Investment returns in the FRB Cape water performance-based bond rely on performance and so we require systems to independently verify results. This independence and transparency are critical to ensure trust in these results, and to scale nature-based impact finance products.” Chris Barichievy, Director of Science, Conservation Alpha

Taking Impact To Scale

Water security underpins economic stability. From farms to factories, every sector depends on a reliable flow of water. When systems fail, the costs are staggering. When they succeed, they quietly power equity and prosperity.

The Cape Water Performance-based Bond matters because it can be replicated. Cities across Africa face similar challenges, degraded landscapes, limited public funds, rising demand. This model offers a science-based, practical path forward that can be adapted to different contexts.

From Vision to Delivery

This is where vision meets action. Governments and other roleplayers need to recognize that healthy catchments are as essential as pipes, treatment plants and pumps. Healthy catchments enable water to reach our dams, which is the first step in securing our water supply.

The capital markets are the world’s largest funding pools. Yet the opportunity for capital markets to play a role in the water supply system has been limited – until now. Martin Potgieter from RMB said: “This Cape Water Performance-based Bond gives financial institutions and investors the opportunity to participate in the security of the water supply system. It gives investors a low-risk entry to the funding of a water catchment, while at the same time enabling a project that delivers lasting, systemic impact.”

Large and critical interventions need long-term planning and commitment, with the Cape Water Performance-based Bond providing five years of predictable funding.

Without this change, the risks to our water security will only grow. In 2018, Cape Town has shown the world what it means to be pushed to the edge. Now, it is showing the world what it means to lead. By building financing systems that match the scale of the challenge, we can secure a future where both nature and people thrive.

Louise Stafford is the South Africa Country Director at The Nature Conservancy

 

Le groupe bancaire panafricain Ecobank a annoncé, mardi 14 avril 2025, des résultats financiers en forte progression pour l'exercice 2025, avec un bénéfice avant impôt de 801 millions de dollars, en hausse de 21 % sur un an, porté par la croissance de ses principales activités et l'exécution de sa stratégie.

Les revenus nets du groupe Ecobank se sont établis à 2,45 milliards de dollars, en progression de 17 %, grâce notamment aux performances de la Banque des Grandes Entreprises et d'Investissement (CIB) et de la Banque Commerciale et des Particuliers (CCB). « Ces résultats illustrent le succès de la mise en œuvre rigoureuse de notre stratégie Croissance, Transformation et Rendement », souligne le groupe dans son communiqué.

La dynamique a été soutenue par « l'intensification de l'activité clientèle, l'augmentation des volumes de commerce » ainsi que l'expansion des services de paiements et de crédit à travers son réseau africain.

Dans le détail, la division CIB a enregistré une progression marquée, avec un bénéfice avant impôt de 697 millions de dollars (+40 %), tiré par le financement du commerce et les activités de marchés. De son côté, la CCB a affiché un bénéfice de 480 millions de dollars (+27 %), soutenu par une hausse de 33 % de l'activité de crédit.

Le groupe a également amélioré son efficacité opérationnelle, avec un coefficient d'exploitation ramené à un niveau record de 48,3 %, contre 52,8 % un an plus tôt. Parallèlement, les dépôts de la clientèle ont augmenté de 4,9 milliards de dollars pour atteindre 25,3 milliards, traduisant « un approfondissement des relations clients ».

Cette performance s'inscrit dans un contexte de diversification géographique, la région Afrique centrale, orientale et australe (CESA) apparaissant comme la plus dynamique, tandis que l'Afrique de l'Ouest anglophone et francophone reste fortement rentable.

Malgré ces résultats, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated a fait état de pressions accrues sur la qualité des actifs, notamment au Nigeria, en raison de la hausse des prêts non performants liée à des expositions héritées. Le groupe a renforcé ses provisions, portant le taux de pertes de crédit attendues à 7,8 %.

Son ratio d'adéquation des fonds propres s'est toutefois maintenu à un niveau jugé confortable, à 16,7 %, au-dessus des exigences réglementaires.

« Nos performances en 2025 démontrent une fois de plus que notre stratégie (…) produit des résultats tangibles », a déclaré le directeur général du groupe, Jeremy Awori, mettant en avant un rendement des capitaux propres tangibles de 27,8 %.

Il a également souligné les investissements réalisés pour améliorer l'expérience client, avec « une augmentation de 1 000 points de base du taux de satisfaction client, désormais établi à 70 % ».

Fort de ces résultats, le conseil d'administration a recommandé le versement d'un dividende de 40 millions de dollars, soit 0,0016 dollar par action, sous réserve de l'approbation des actionnaires lors de la prochaine assemblée générale annuelle.

Présent dans 34 pays d'Afrique subsaharienne et à l'international, le groupe revendique plus de 32 millions de clients et plus de 14 000 employés, confirmant sa position de premier groupe bancaire panafricain privé.

A Cotonou, la capitale économique du Bénin, la mairie va bientôt lancer un projet de réhabilitation des clôtures de deux collèges d'enseignement général, et celle de la direction de la Police municipale. Le processus de formalisation d'un financement mixte, visant leur réalisation, est déjà lancé.

Les clôtures du CEG Les Pylônes et du CEG Le Littoral feront bientôt peau neuve. Et ce, grâce à un financement mixte de 156 millions de francs CFA dont le processus de formalisation est déjà enclenché. L'initiative vise à sécuriser le cadre de vie des apprenants des deux collèges bénéficiaires, ainsi que celui des usagers de la Police municipale.

Selon La Marina, les travaux à réaliser au CEG Le Littoral incluent également la remise en état du terrain de sport attenant, offrant ainsi un espace de pratique renouvelé pour la jeunesse. Le média renseigne par ailleurs que le chantier devra être livré dans un délai de quatre mois à compter du démarrage effectif des opérations, conformément aux directives de la Direction des services techniques (DST) de la mairie.

F. A. A.

Le nouveau président de l'Assemblée nationale, Joseph Djogbénou a prononcé son discours d'investiture ce mercredi 15 avril 2026, au Palais des gouverneurs à Porto-Novo. Devant un parterre de personnalités composé des présidents d'institutions de la République, des membres du gouvernement et d'anciens présidents de l'Assemblée nationale, il a défini les priorités de la 10e législature et assuré Romuald Wadagni, président élu, du soutien du Parlement.

La 10e législature entame ses travaux au Parlement avec la première session ordinaire de l'année 2026. Cette législature selon son président, ouvre une période et une expérience nouvelle de législation et de contrôle de l'action du gouvernement. « Si l'Assemblée nationale garde le monopole du contrôle de l'action du gouvernement, elle ne conduira plus seule, le processus de législation.

La nouvelle rédaction de l'article 119 de la Constitution dispose que le Parlement exerce le pouvoir législatif et contrôle l'action du gouvernement. Il est composé de deux assemblées, l'Assemblée nationale et le Sénat », a déclaré Joseph Djogbénou. Il a précisé que l'attelage constitutionnel entre le Sénat et l'Assemblée nationale, n'institue pas les deux organes dans « un duel institutionnel ». « Les deux organes constituent plutôt un duo dans une complémentarité utile et fertile », a souligné le président de l'Assemblée nationale. A cet effet, l'un des premiers défis à relever par la 10e législature, est relative à la mise en conformité du Règlement intérieur de l'Assemblée nationale.

Exhortant les parlementaires à restés attachés aux objectifs politiques fondamentaux de la Nation, et pourvoir de ressources législatives pertinentes, le président du parlement a évoqué la politique de régionalisation du développement défendue par le Président élu Romuald Wadagni. Cette option selon Joseph Djogbénou, doit avoir « un prolongement législatif ». Et la 10e législature a-t-il insisté, doit être celle des réponses législatives pertinentes aux rapports sociaux et économiques individuels ou de groupe.

« Le droit des obligations civiles, celui des personnes et de la famille, du patrimoine et de la protection sociale recevront au cours de cette législature, les réponses appropriées », a assuré Joseph Djogbénou insistant sur la nécessité pour la nouvelle mandature de garantir aux concitoyens des solutions nouvelles et celles renouvelées qui protègent la vie, la société et l'État. Elle devra également assuré d'après lui, la simplification des normes, leur accessibilité ainsi que la stabilité et la sécurité juridique.

Des assurances à au président élu Romuald Wadagni
Le président de l'Assemblée nationale a réitéré ses félicitations à Romuald Wadagni, président élu au terme du scrutin présidentiel du 12 avril 2026 ; et à sa colistière Mariam Chabi-Talata. Le duo gagnant de cette élection, a-t-il assuré, peut compter sur le Parlement pour lui donner les moyens législatifs de sa politique de développement.

Pour lui, leur élection est « l'expression la plus parfaite du peuple béninois en faveur de la politique de reconstruction nationale et de développement profond et durable, engagée depuis 2016 par le gouvernement de M. Patrice Talon ». Elle relève également de l'adhésion du peuple béninois à un projet de société portant de solutions à la demande sociale, garantissant avec plus d'assurance, le droit au mieux-être de chaque Béninoise et de chaque Béninois, a-t-il indiqué réitérant le soutien de l'institution qu'il préside.

F. A. A.

The GEF actively supports climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods in Zanzibar, with a specific focus on the seaweed farming sector, which is crucial for over 20,000 farmers—mostly women—in the region. Here a woman identified as Jazaa is pictured working as a seaweed farmer. She carefully attaches little seaweed seedlings to the rope that she will harvest after two months. Credit: Natalija Gormalova/Climate Visuals Countdown

By Umar Manzoor Shah
SRINAGAR, India, Apr 16 2026 (IPS)

The Global Environment Facility, widely known as the GEF, plays a central role in financing environmental protection across the world. It supports developing countries in tackling climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, pollution, and threats to ecosystems.

Since its establishment in the early 1990s, the GEF has grown as a multilateral environmental fund, supporting projects in more than 170 countries.

Over time, the GEF has evolved into what it calls a “family of funds”, each targeting a specific global environmental challenge while operating under a shared strategic framework.

This explainer looks at how the GEF funding works, the origins of its financing model, and the role of six major funds that channel resources toward global environmental goals.

While the GEF predates the 1992 Rio ‘Earth’ Summit, its importance as a financial mechanism grew after the summit. Here UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali opens the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, which aimed to develop a global blueprint for balancing economic development with environmental protection. Credit: Michos Tzavaras/UN Photo

Origins of the GEF Funding Model

The GEF was created in 1991, before the Rio ‘Earth’ Summit in 1992, which aimed to develop a global blueprint for balancing economic development with environmental protection; however, its importance grew after the summit.

The Rio Summit produced three major environmental conventions. These were the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biological Diversity, and, later in 1994, the Convention to Combat Desertification. The GEF became the financial mechanism for these agreements, meaning it mobilises and distributes funds to help countries implement them.

Over the past 35 years, the GEF has expanded its mandate. Today it supports multiple conventions and environmental initiatives through a structured set of trust funds. This architecture allows the facility to coordinate funding across different environmental priorities while maintaining specialised programs for each global commitment.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is now focusing on solving environmental problems together instead of separately. It looks at climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution as connected issues and works with governments, international groups, civil society, and businesses to address them.

The GEF Trust Fund was initially created to support multiple environmental agreements simultaneously. Over time, countries preferred more specific funding for their particular needs.

Because of these changes, the GEF now has different funds, each designed for different purposes and methods of giving money.

Some funds – like the Trust Fund, the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), and part of the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) – use a system that helps countries know in advance how much funding they can expect.

The GEF Trust Fund

The Global Environment Facility Trust Fund is the main source of funds for the GEF. It provides grants to support environmental projects in developing countries.

The Trust Fund finances activities across several environmental areas.

These include

• Biodiversity conservation,
• Climate change mitigation,
• Land degradation control,
• International waters management, and
• Chemicals and waste reduction.

Countries receive funding through a system known as the System for Transparent Allocation of Resources, or STAR, which distributes funds based on their environmental needs and eligibility.

Projects funded by the Trust Fund often focus on creating global environmental benefits. These may include:

• Protecting endangered species,
• Restoring ecosystems,
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and
• Improving pollution management systems.

The Trust Fund operates through periodic “replenishment” cycles. Donor countries pledge new contributions every four years, which allows the GEF to finance programs during the next funding period. For example, the GEF-9 cycle will cover the period from July 2026 to June 2030 and focus on scaling up environmental investments while mobilising private capital and strengthening country ownership of environmental policies.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has created Integrated Programs. These are special programs designed to address multiple environmental goals at the same time in a more coordinated and efficient way.

For example, the Food Systems Integrated Program does not fund separate projects for climate change, biodiversity, and land degradation. Instead, it combines them into one unified project, which helps achieve stronger and longer-lasting results while making better use of funding.

 

The GEF helps fund biodiversity across the globe, helping to create conditions to prevent the further endangerment of species like the Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii). Credit: Thomas Gabernig/Unsplash

Global Biodiversity Framework Fund

The Global Biodiversity Framework Fund is a relatively new component of the GEF family of funds. It was created to help countries implement the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which was adopted in 2022 under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The biodiversity framework sets ambitious targets for protecting nature by 2030. Its most prominent targets include the “30 by 30” target, which calls for protecting at least 30 percent of the world’s land and ocean areas by the end of the decade.  The Framework also sets a 30 percent target for the restoration of ecosystems and a target of mobilising 30 billion dollars in international financial flows to developing countries for biodiversity action.

The Global Biodiversity Framework Fund supports actions that help countries meet these targets.

Actions that are supported include the following:

• Expanding protected areas,
• Restoring degraded ecosystems,
• Protecting endangered species, and
• Strengthening biodiversity monitoring.

Another important focus is the integration of biodiversity into economic planning. Many projects supported by this fund work with governments and businesses to match financial flows with biodiversity goals. This means reducing financial support for activities that damage the environment and encouraging more sustainable farming, forestry, and fishing practices.

By providing targeted financing for biodiversity commitments, the fund helps translate global agreements into practical actions at the national and local levels.

It is also important to highlight that the fund sets a target of providing at least 20% of its resources to support actions by Indigenous Peoples and local communities. This form of direct financing is unique for a multilateral environmental fund.  To date, this target has been exceeded and mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund and the Tropical Forest Forever Facility are considering replicating this approach.

GEF-9 biodiversity investments will bring together four interconnected pathways:

• Scaling up financial flows to close the nature financing gap,
• Embedding environmental priorities in national development strategies,
• Mobilising private capital through blended finance, and
• Empowering Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and civil society as active conservation partners.

“A renewed emphasis on the Forest Biomes Integrated Program will continue directing investment into the landscapes most critical for achieving 30×30 – ensuring that GEF financing remains focused where the stakes are highest,” said Chizuru Aoki, the head of the GEF Conventions and Funds Division.

 

Medicinal and aromatic plant species, such as the baobab, are often exploited; however, the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing aims to ensure fair use of the planet’s genetic resources and secure benefits for Indigenous knowledge holders. Credit Noah Grossenbacher/Unsplash

Nagoya Protocol Implementation Fund

The Nagoya Protocol Implementation Fund supports countries in implementing the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing. This international agreement, part of the Convention on Biological Diversity, aims to make sure that the genetic resources of the planet are used fairly and equitably, with benefits shared with those who provide them.

Genetic resources include plants, animals, and microorganisms that are used in research and commercial products such as medicines, cosmetics, and agricultural technologies. Historically, many developing countries have expressed concerns that companies and researchers benefit from these resources without sharing profits or knowledge.

The Nagoya Protocol fixes these issues by requiring users to do the following:

• Get permission from the country providing the resources, and
• Agree on how benefits (like money or knowledge) will be shared.

The fund supports countries by helping them:

• Create laws and rules for using genetic resources,
• Improve monitoring systems, and
• Build skills among researchers and policymakers.

Projects funded also support Indigenous peoples and local communities, who often hold traditional knowledge associated with biological resources. Protecting this knowledge and ensuring fair compensation is a key objective of the Nagoya framework.

Least Developed Countries Fund

The Least Developed Countries Fund focuses on supporting climate adaptation in the world’s most vulnerable nations. These countries often face severe environmental risks but lack the finances and systems to respond efficiently.

The fund supports the preparation and implementation of National Adaptation Programs of Action and National Adaptation Plans. These are country-specific strategies that identify the most urgent climate risks facing each country and outline measures to reduce vulnerability.

Typical projects include the following:

• Strengthening climate-resilient agriculture,
• Improving water management systems,
• Protecting coastal zones, and
• Building early warning systems for extreme weather events.

Because many least developed countries face multiple environmental issues at once, the fund often supports integrated projects that address climate change alongside biodiversity conservation and land management.

This funding system makes sure that the poorest and most vulnerable countries get the help they need to deal with climate change, even though they did very little to cause it.

Villagers in Nyamisati, Rufiji District, wade through muddy tidal flats to plant mangrove seedlings—part of a grassroots effort to curb saline intrusion that has begun to poison nearby rice paddies as saltwater seeps underground. The initiative reflects growing local responses to environmental degradation driven by human activity along Tanzania’s coast. The GEF supports projects like these that help mitigate the impacts of climate change. Credit: Kizito Makoye/IPS

Special Climate Change Fund

The Special Climate Change Fund supports climate action in developing countries and works alongside the Least Developed Countries Fund.

While the Least Developed Countries Fund focuses on the poorest nations, this fund helps other developing countries that are also affected by climate change.

It supports projects that:

• Help countries prepare for climate impacts,
• Include climate planning in development and infrastructure,
• Improve water management and agriculture.
• Reduce disaster risks, and
• Promote environmentally friendly technologies.

The SCCF also, in some cases, supports mitigation efforts, particularly when they involve innovative technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By financing both adaptation and mitigation initiatives, the fund contributes to global efforts to stabilise the climate system.

Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency Trust Fund

The Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency Trust Fund supports countries in implementing transparency requirements under the Paris Agreement.

Under this agreement, countries must regularly report their greenhouse gas emissions and track their progress on climate goals. However, many developing countries do not have the tools or skills to do this properly.

This fund helps by supporting:

• Training for government officials,
• Creation of national emissions data systems, and
• Better monitoring and reporting methods.

Strong reporting systems are important because they:

• Help track climate progress,
• Build trust between countries, and
• Ensure countries meet their commitments.

The fund helps developing countries improve their climate reporting so they can fully take part in global climate efforts.

How the “family of funds” works together

One of the defining features of the GEF funding model is that each part speaks to the others.

Think of it like a team of funds working together, rather than separate, isolated programs.

These funds are coordinated so they can:

• Support the same project from different angles,
• Avoid duplication (no overlapping funding for the same purpose), and
• Align with global environmental agreements.

For example:

• A biodiversity project might use:
  • The main GEF Trust Fund
  • Plus the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund
• A climate adaptation project could combine:
  • Least Developed Countries Fund
  • Special Climate Change Fund

This ‘family’ structure improves:

• Coordination, so different funds work in sync,
• Efficiency, so funds work with less waste and duplication, and
• Flexibility, so projects can tap into multiple funding sources.

Environmental problems are interconnected. A single project (like forest conservation) can:

• Reduce carbon emissions,
• Protect biodiversity,
• Improve water systems, and
• Avoid land degradation.

Because of the integrated funding system, the GEF can support all these goals at once, rather than funding them separately.

The “family of funds” is a coordinated funding system that allows the GEF to:

• Combine resources;
• Support complex, multi-sector projects; and
• Maximise environmental impact

The Future of GEF Financing

As global environmental crises grow, so does the demand for money and resources to meet climate and biodiversity needs. International assessments suggest that hundreds of billions of dollars are needed each year.

The GEF aims to play a “catalytic” role in closing this gap – in short, the GEF acts as a “catalyst” or tool for using limited public funds to unlock much larger investments.

Its funding model mobilises additional resources from

• Governments,
• Development banks, and
• Private investors.

“In practical terms, the mechanisms being supported in GEF-9 include debt-for-nature and debt-for-climate swaps, green bonds, pooled investment vehicles, and outcome-based financing structures. Each of these can serve a different purpose depending on the context – but the common thread is that they allow the GEF to use its resources strategically to unlock much larger pools of capital from the private sector, multiplying the environmental impact that public funding alone could achieve,” Aoki said.

Note: This feature is published with the support of the GEF. IPS is solely responsible for the editorial content, and it does not necessarily reflect the views of the GEF.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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