The GEF operates through a unique partnership model that brings together recipient countries, 18 GEF Agencies, the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP), civil society organizations (CSOs) and the GEF-CSO Network, the private sector, and a diverse network of donors. Strengthening the effectiveness of the GEF partnership and its financing is increasingly critical as environmental challenges grow in scale and complexity. As the financial mechanism for multiple environmental conventions, the GEF relies not only on the performance of its broad partnership, but also on strong and sustained donor support. Donor financing is essential to maintaining the scale, flexibility, and ambition of GEF programming, while the ability to mobilize and raise cofinancing from other partners amplifies the reach and impact of GEF investments.
Chapter 8 focused on the role of one GEF partner—the private sector—in fostering innovation and scale; this chapter focuses on the broader GEF partnership that, supported by contributions from donor countries and cofinancing, drives delivery and enables the GEF to deliver integrated solutions for biodiversity, climate change, land degradation, international waters, and chemicals and waste, while advancing sustainable development at local, national, and global scales. This chapter examines how these components interact, where progress has been made, and what improvements to the partnership model are needed to strengthen cooperation, responsiveness, and overall effectiveness of GEF programming.
