Integration for greater impact

4.4 Summary

GEF-funded projects frequently generate important socioeconomic co-benefits alongside environmental results, particularly through strengthened human and social capital. These co-benefits include enhanced skills, improved local governance, diversified livelihoods, and greater community resilience. Such co-benefits are not secondary—they are central to building ownership, sustaining environmental gains, and unlocking pathways for systemic change.

Persistent challenges exist. Many benefits remain localized, market access and value chain integration are limited, and sustainability often depends on continued external support. Weak monitoring systems and short project timelines further constrain the ability to track and scale these outcomes. As a result, co-benefits too often stop short of broader adoption and transformational impact.

Looking ahead, leveraging co-benefits more strategically is critical for the GEF’s catalytic role. Greater selectivity will also be required—focusing resources where co-benefits can be scaled, embedded in market systems, and reinforced by strong policy and institutional linkages. By doing so, the GEF can amplify results well beyond individual projects and ensure that socioeconomic co-benefits drive scaling and transformational change.