The Global Environment Facility: Offering opportunities for transboundary water cooperation, through its 7th Replenishment
Cooperation on water is essential to support the need for water, food, energy, and ecosystems security leading to increased resilience locally, nationally and regionally. Shared freshwater resources comprise a special case for cooperation with large potential spillover and global impacts. Transboundary river basins cover about 50% of the earth’s land surface and are home to about 40% of the world’s population. 1.2 billion people live in river basins where human water use has surpassed sustainable limits. Cooperation on water, therefore, is ‘a must’ in most international basins to support the need for water, food, energy, and ecosystems security and increase resilience for each nation.
This is why GEF IW:LEARN together with the Global Environment Facility, is convening a session on “The Global Environment Facility: Offering opportunities for transboundary water cooperation, through its 7th Replenishment”.
The Global Environment Facility has since its inception, primarily through its International Waters Focal Area been financing transboundary water cooperation across shared fresh and marine water systems. Focusing on transboundary freshwater, the GEF has together with its implementing and executing partners financed a total of 101 projects, with in 44 distinct rivers, 9 aquifers and 14 lakes. These investments totaled $567 million USD in grant financing, leveraging $2.66 billion USD in co-financing.
Session participants will gain insights on the 7th replenishment of the GEF (2018-2022), in particular the strategy and priorities of its International waters focal area.
AGENDA
17:00 Brief Welcome by Moderator, Mish Hamid, GEF IW:LEARN
17:05 Keynote – Source to Sea Linkage
17:15 Amazon – Caribbean Source to Sea Case
Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization
Patrick Debels, United Nations Office for Project Services (Caribbean Sea Large Marine Ecosystem Project)
17:25 GEF7 Replenishment
Christian Severin and Astrid Hillers, Global Environment Facility
17:35 Q&A
17:45 Close
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