Ninth GEF Replenishment Technical Advisory Meetings

Washington, DC, 18 - 20 February 2025 – Some of the world’s leading environmental scientists, technical experts, and practitioners gathered in Washington, DC, for the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) meetings of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). This marked a pivotal moment in shaping the future of global environmental investments that officially launched the GEF-9 replenishment process, setting the stage for the next cycle of investments from July 2026 to June 2030.

The meetings convened leading scientists, technical experts, and practitioners to discuss the latest science, assess challenges, and inform the GEF Partnership’s programming strategy. Critical discussions covered food systems, land use, urban development, plastics and pollution control, Indigenous peoples, and biodiversity conservation, among other pressing environmental issues.

The Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) team, under the leadership of its Chair, Prof. Rosina Bierbaum, actively participated in the organization of the meeting and played an active role in several of the sessions. During the opening plenary, the STAP Chair presented recommendations from STAP’s Initial Perspective on GEF-9, which includes:

1. Build an overarching GEF-9 theory of change to drive portfolio-wide investment;
2. Invest in innovation and manage associated risk at portfolio and program levels;
3. Support policy coherence at multiple levels;
4. Enable civil society to strengthen the social foundations for transformation;
5. Work to influence market transformation in targeted sectors;
6. Revisit the GEF results framework; and
7. Foster early and adaptive learning and networked knowledge management.

STAP Panel members and technical staff from the Secretariat were engaged throughout the week, participating in and offering their expertise in various TAG sessions.

STAP Chair's presentation

https://stapgef.org/resources/report/chairs-2025-presentation-tag-meeting-opening-session

STAP’s Initial Perspective on GEF-9

https://stapgef.org/resources/advisory-documents/staps-initial-perspective-gef-9

News Article

https://stapgef.org/news-and-stories/news/charting-nature-positive-future-gef-9-technical-advisory-group-meeting

X platform

https://x.com/STAP_GEF/status/1891885779154096349

https://x.com/STAP_GEF/status/1895467803630809194

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/scientific-and-technical-advisory-panel-to-the-global-environment-facility_gef9-sustainablefuture-naturepositive-activity-7301204796793847808-oMs_?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAC8Xy8B5Qx4kWXvc8WKx6m1Jwi1c7UDKfg