How The GEF supports the environment. #GEFAssembly2026

Guardians of the Sea: How GEF Small Grants Program Enables Young Volunteers Take the Lead in Sea Turtle Conservation Every winter thousands of sea turtles come ashore at Cox’s Bazar, in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, to lay eggs.

Guardians of the Sea: How GEF Small Grants Program Enables Young Volunteers Take the Lead in Sea Turtle Conservation
www.ipsnews.net/2026/04/guar... #GEFAssembly2026 @cicirussell.bsky.social

The Global Environment Facility supports projects in 170+ countries - but its funding model is less known.

This explainer breaks it down simply🔗tinyurl.com/46d2frkt

How the Global Environment Facility @thegef.bsky.social works: created in 1991, it finances environmental protection worldwide, supporting developing countries tackling climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation & threats to ecosystems #GEFAssembly2026 www.ipsnews.net/2026/04/expl...

Care for the Elderly Global demand for care for the elderly is rising as populations age, costs increase, and families and governments struggle to meet growing care needs

Who should be responsible for providing care and covering expenses for the elderly? Should it be governments, the elderly themselves, their families, a combination of the three, or a new societal arrangement? www.ipsnews.net/2026/04/care...

The Day the General Assembly Moved to Geneva-- to Provide a Platform to a PLO Leader… The United Nations faces two crucial elections later this year: the election of a new Secretary General, with no confirmed date for polling, and the election of a new President (PGA), scheduled for Ju...

The United Nations faces two crucial elections later this year: the election of a new Secretary General, with no confirmed date for polling, and the election of a new President, scheduled for June 2, for the upcoming 81st session of the General Assembly www.ipsnews.net/2026/04/the-...

Informal Settlements Grapple With Climate Extremes in Pacific Islands A rising cycle of poverty and extreme weather threatens many towns, especially those situated on coastlines, in the Pacific Islands.

A rising cycle of poverty and extreme weather is threatening towns and cities across the Pacific Islands. Urban centres in the Pacific have grown at an unprecedented rate this century, rapidly straining national resources for urban planning www.ipsnews.net/2026/04/info...

A $3.9 billion pledge to the Global Environment Facility will support developing countries tackling climate, biodiversity and pollution challenges. The upcoming GEF-9 cycle is seen as a critical window to deliver measurable progress before 2030.

tinyurl.com/bdh36jcu

Governments are committing $3.9 billion to shore up one of the world’s main environmental funds, the Global Environment Facility @thegef.bsky.social, as countries face mounting pressure to meet global environmental goals by 2030 #GEFAssembly2026 www.ipsnews.net/2026/04/nati...

Nature positive solutions

The future is "nature-positive". 🌱
GEF-9 aims to rewire economies—from food systems to urban development—so growth works with nature, not against it. #GEFAssembly2026 @cicirussell.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/4bavy578

Over 500 civil society organisations sign an open letter to UN chief António Guterres warning that, when sexual and reproductive health rights are absorbed into broader mandates, they risk being deprioritised, underfunded, or rendered politically invisible www.ipsnews.net/2026/03/csw7...

Inequalities in Human Mortality inequalities in human mortality exist both among nations and within them, spanning various social and economic dimensions. While death is a natural part of life, the distribution of human deaths is un...

While mortality is a common fate for all humans, the timing, causes, and circumstances of death vary greatly across and within countries. This discrepancy often leads to a gap in death rates between privileged and marginalized groups, writes demographer Joseph Chamie www.ipsnews.net/2026/04/ineq...

US Aims at Heavy Staff & Budgetary Cuts, Seeks to Launch Cost-Saving Artificial Intelligence at UN meetings US Aims to Launch Cost-Saving Artificial Intelligence at UN meetings for translations and interpretations in six languages.

The US has spelled out in detail its own concept of what a restructured UN should look like: drastic reductions in staff, deep budget cuts, avoiding duplication in mandates, slashing peacekeeping operations and AI for translations/interpretations in six languages www.ipsnews.net/2026/04/us-a...

Artisanal Miners in Western Kenya Move Away From Mercury Mercury gold processing risks in Kenya went unrecognised. Now planetGOLD, backed by GEF, aims to reduce mercury use in artisanal gold mining.

Mercury-free gold mining in Kenya offers higher recovery rates and lower risks. While traditional methods recover about 20% of gold from ore, planetGOLD Kenya shows that mercury-free systems can recover up to 90%, without the toxic effects of mercury #GEFAssembly2026 www.ipsnews.net/2026/04/arti...

Moving away from dangerous practices in gold production. @cicirussell.bsky.social #GEFAssembly2026

Artisanal Miners in Western Kenya Move Away From Mercury

www.ipsnews.net/2026/04/arti...

GEFAssembly2026

Artisanal Miners in Western Kenya Move Away From Mercury

www.ipsnews.net/2026/04/arti...

GEFAssembly2026

Artisanal Miners in Western Kenya Move Away From Mercury Mercury gold processing risks in Kenya went unrecognised. Now planetGOLD, backed by GEF, aims to reduce mercury use in artisanal gold mining.

Gold without mercury? The transition has begun.

In western Kenya, artisanal miners are starting to move away from mercury — a toxic chemical long used to extract gold.

🔗 tinyurl.com/yc25uvfb

UNECA Warns Africa Risks Remaining Uncompetitive, Urges AI Adoption Africa must move swiftly to harness data and frontier technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive its economic growth.

Africa must move swiftly to harness data and frontier technologies such as Artificial Intelligence to drive its economic growth and make the continent globally competitive in the digital economy, says UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) www.ipsnews.net/2026/04/unec...

An Ominous Reckoning for the Gulf States Trump’s Iran war has left the Gulf shattered: US bases turned into targets, economies battered, and the “oasis” myth destroyed. Gulf rulers now confront a harsh reckoning over their reliance on Washin...

Trump’s Iran war has left the Gulf shattered: US bases turned into targets, economies battered, and the “oasis” myth destroyed, forcing leaders to confront their reliance on Washington and the fragility of the region's security order, writes Alon Ben-Meir www.ipsnews.net/2026/03/an-o...

Experts, Rights Groups Warn of Crisis of Obstetric Violence Government and medical professionals must implement systematic changes to deal with a “crisis” of obstetric violence (OV).

Government and medical professionals must implement systematic changes to deal with a “crisis” of obstetric violence across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, experts say, as a new report by @unfpa.org details widespread mistreatment during childbirth across the region www.ipsnews.net/2026/03/expe...

Escalating Violence and Influx of Returnees in DRC Fuel Regional Instability the humanitarian crisis in the DRC has deteriorated considerably

In the month following the reopening of the Burundi-Democratic Republic of Congo border, the humanitarian crisis in the DRC has deteriorated considerably, with returning Congolese refugees facing overcrowding and a severe shortage of essential services www.ipsnews.net/2026/03/esca...

What the US Really Wants from MC14 in Yaoundé As trade ministers gather in Yaoundé, Cameroon, for the WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) on 26–29 March 2026, the preparatory process has produced a dense fog of competing reform proposals, dr...

As trade ministers gather in Yaoundé, Cameroon, for the @wto.org’s 14th Ministerial Conference #WTOMC14 on 26–29 March 2026, the preparatory process has produced a dense fog of competing reform proposals, draft ministerial statements, and work plans www.ipsnews.net/2026/03/what...

Planet Earth’s Increasing Population of 8 Billion World population growth is projected to peak at 10.3 billion by 2084, with major implications for sustainability, climate change, and global demographics

On planet Earth, world population in 2026 is 8.3 billion people, which is four times larger than it was a hundred years ago. It is expected to continue increasing throughout the 21st century, significantly impacting planetary sustainability www.ipsnews.net/2026/03/plan...

Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi Launch $7.12 Million GEF Project to Protect the Ruvuma Basin Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi have launched a GEF-supported project aimed at protecting the fragile ecosystems of the Ravuma Basin.

Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi Launch $7.12 Million GEF Project to Protect the Ruvuma Basin

www.ipsnews.net/2026/03/tanz...

#GEFassembly2026 @cicirussell.bsky.social

80 Percent of Rural Households Without Direct Water Access - World Water Report A UN report has warned that global water inequality remains one of the most pressing development challenges of the decade.

2.1 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water services, while 3.4 billion people lack safely managed sanitation and 1.7 billion people lack basic hygiene services at home, finds UN report www.ipsnews.net/2026/03/80-p...

Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi Launch $7.12 Million GEF Project to Protect the Ruvuma Basin Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi have launched a GEF-supported project aimed at protecting the fragile ecosystems of the Ravuma Basin.

The Ruvuma Basin supports livelihoods across Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique. Yet, its ecosystem is under pressure from deforestation, unsustainable land use & climate change. Now, the three countries have launched a regional initiative to protect it #GEFAssembly2026 www.ipsnews.net/2026/03/tanz...

@cicirussell.bsky.social

World Heating Faster Than Expected, Scientists Sound Alarm in latest UN Report The global climate system continued its alarming trajectory in 2025, with multiple indicators reaching record or near-record extremes.

The global climate system remained on an alarming path in 2025, with multiple indicators at record or near-record extremes, underscoring the accelerating pace of climate change and its cascading impacts, finds new report by the @wmo-global.bsky.social www.ipsnews.net/2026/03/worl...

Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi Launch $7.12 Million GEF Project to Protect the Ruvuma Basin Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi have launched a GEF-supported project aimed at protecting the fragile ecosystems of the Ravuma Basin.

The Ruvuma Basin supports livelihoods across Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique. Yet, its ecosystem is under pressure from deforestation, unsustainable land use & climate change. Now, the three countries have launched a regional initiative to protect it #GEFAssembly2026 www.ipsnews.net/2026/03/tanz...