UNEP has been announced as the leader of four new high-impact global Global Environment Facility (GEF) integrated programs to accelerate action on nature, climate and pollution.
The Circular Solutions to Plastic Integrated Program, Congo Basin Integrated Program, Elimination of Hazardous Chemicals from Supply Chains Integrated Program and Net-Zero Nature-Positive Accelerator Integrated Program are flagship GEF initiatives focused on tackling the drivers of environmental degradation and advancing systems transformation through integrated approaches.
The four initiatives are part of a series of 11 new Integrated Programs to be backed by the world’s biggest funder of environmental projects as part of its record-breaking eighth funding cycle (GEF-8), in which 29 countries have committed over $5 billion towards overcoming some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
In a direction that has been proven over the last two GEF funding cycles, the GEF-8 Integrated Programs aim to maximize the impact of investments in the environment by working across sectors to address the drivers of degradation, creating the conditions for lasting systems transformation through coherent policy from the local to the global level.
As leader of the four Integrated Programs, UNEP brings unique expertise in bringing science to policy and convening stakeholders across sectors in its role as the voice of the United Nations on the environment, in addition to in-depth expertise across all of the GEF’s focal areas.
Building on the landmark 2022 United Nations Environment Assembly resolution (5/14) to end plastic pollution and forge an international legally binding agreement on plastics by 2024, the Circular Solutions to Plastic Pollution Integrated Program, which UNEP will co-lead with WWF, aims to trigger a system change to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy for plastics worldwide. The program will tackle plastics across their lifecycle, working to eliminate avoidable and problematic plastic products and additives, innovate on plastic circularity, and ensure the safe disposal of plastics that cannot be reused or recycled.
Part of the larger Amazon, Congo & Critical Forest Biomes Integrated Program, the Congo Basin Integrated Program will build on UNEP’s experience leading the GEF-7 Congo Basin Sustainable Landscapes Program to maximise coherence across regional initiatives, ensuring the Congo Basin – home to 70 per cent of Africa’s forest cover and one of every five species on our planet – is managed to conserve its biodiversity and contribute to global climate stability, while enabling the sustainable development of the six nations that depend on it.
The Elimination of Hazardous Chemicals from Supply Chains Integrated Program will focus on eliminating the environmental degradation caused by global supply chains in the building and textiles industries. By accelerating the development and implementation of private sector efforts to fight pollution, while innovating new materials, processes and products, and streamlining and standardising government policy efforts, the program will accelerate these key industries towards a zero-pollution and carbon-neutral future
Jointly led by UNEP with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Development Bank for Latin America (CAF), the Net-Zero Nature-Positive Accelerator Integrated Program aims to support countries to achieve their national net-zero targets through long-term economic transformation. Backing national efforts to transition to inclusive, sustainable economic pathways, the program will support the development of net-zero public budgets and scale up blended financing to realize the investment needed to develop and implement green economic policy worldwide.
For more information on UNEP and our work with the Global Environment Facility, reach out to us at unep-gef@un.org.
To discuss partnering with UNEP on projects under the GEF-8 Integrated Programs, contact:
