“Today, I had a bilateral meeting with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) team on the sidelines of COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to discuss Kenya’s priorities and opportunities under the Global Environment Facility (GEF-9),” said Dr. Eng. Festus K. Ng’eno, MIEK, CBS.
The discussions explored opportunities to build a strategic GEF-9 pipeline anchored on national priorities, integrated approaches, strong country ownership, and innovative financing. Kenya’s extensive experience with GEF programming provides a strong foundation for developing transformational investments that address interconnected environmental challenges, including biodiversity loss, climate change, land degradation, and food systems.
The engagement also considered UNEP’s potential role as a GEF agency and opportunities to strengthen strategic partnerships that can accelerate Kenya’s transition towards a resilient, sustainable, and environmentally secure future.