Advice

STAP’s report to the Eighth GEF Assembly, “Accelerating transformation in turbulent times,” provides an evidence-based assessment of the state of the global environment and outlines strategic pathways for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to enhance its impact in an increasingly complex and unstable world. Drawing on the latest science and STAP’s advisory work across recent replenishment cycles, the report emphasizes the need for integrated approaches that drive systems transformation across socioecological systems.

This STAP paper examines how the global hydrological cycle connects climate, biodiversity, land, ecosystems, and human well-being across scales, and argues that water should no longer be managed primarily through fragmented, blue-water approaches focused on rivers, lakes, and aquifers alone. The paper highlights the growing importance of green water, atmospheric moisture flows, and land–atmosphere interactions in shaping water security, ecosystem resilience, and global environmental outcomes in an era of accelerating climate change and environmental degradation.

Drawing on STAP’s past guidance, expert consultations, and major global scientific assessments, this note synthesizes six interlinked principles for sustainability transformation for the GEF: human–nature relationships, just transitions, inclusive governance, systems approaches, pathways to change, and adaptive learning. While aligned with existing GEF strategies, explicitly applying these principles in GEF-9 could strengthen theories of change, metrics, partnerships, learning, and implementation.

Global investment in nature‑positive interventions remains far below what is needed, prompting calls, especially from the conventions served by the GEF, to scale up private sector finance aligned with environmental goals. Blended finance is a key mechanism for mobilizing such investment, and the GEF has expanded its support for these approaches across several replenishment cycles. Under GEF‑9, the GEF aims to mainstream blended finance across its funding, with an aspirational 25% target to help close the nature finance gap in developing countries.

The STAP brief presents STAP thinking on the use of simple future narratives to design resilient and durable projects. It highlights the importance of considering all drivers of change, such as population, conflict, climate change, and migration, when designing projects. The brief shows that not considering how drivers of change could play out in the future can make project outcomes short-lived, less resilient, or even damaging to the environment and people.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming how we address global environmental challenges. This STAP Information Note explores AI’s potential to accelerate the delivery of Global Environmental Benefits across all GEF focal areas: biodiversity, climate change, land degradation, international waters, and chemicals and waste, while highlighting critical environmental, social, and governance risks. It explores opportunities for leveraging AI in project design, monitoring, evaluation, and knowledge management, and presents examples of AI use across the GEF partnership and networks.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) recognizes that empowering Indigenous Peoples is essential to enhancing the performance, equity, and impact of GEF-funded projects. This commitment has been reaffirmed in recent GEF Council and Assembly discussions.

This brief summarizes key principles of effective monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL), illustrated through four case studies: three from GEF programs, FOLUR, the Global Wildlife Program (GWP), and the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program, and one from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s Conservation and Markets Initiative (CMI).

This brief, based on the STAP Information Note Fostering Cooperation and Managing Conflict in GEF Transboundary Water Projects, highlights why cooperation over shared waters is critical for achieving Global Environmental Benefits and preventing ecological decline.

Human-driven changes are transforming ecosystems at scales and speeds that challenge traditional conservation practices. This STAP Information Note examines what it means to protect biodiversity and sustain ecosystem services in the Anthropocene and outlines three priority actions for the GEF.

The GEF increasingly recognizes that durable environmental outcomes depend on social resilience and the ability of communities to organize and cooperate. This STAP information note synthesizes evidence from the behavioral and social sciences to show that social resilience and collective action are prerequisites for achieving transformational change. It identifies seven institutional and psychological foundations that enable communities to withstand shocks, adapt, and steward natural resources over time (i.e.

This STAP report on “strengthening GEF support for Indigenous Peoples” provides recommendations to the GEF on enhancing the effectiveness of its support for Indigenous Peoples. The report synthesizes insights from: existing scientific and technical knowledge, STAP consultation with Indigenous Peoples, and a review of 20 GEF projects that impact or benefit Indigenous Peoples, to develop the recommendations.

This report summarizes STAP’s virtual consultations with members of the GEF Indigenous Peoples Advisory Group (IPAG) and the Global Steering Committee of the GEF Inclusive Conservation Initiative-1 on enhancing GEF support for Indigenous Peoples. Key recommendations from participants are outlined in Box 1. These consultations provided a valuable input to the STAP report on Strengthening GEF support for Indigenous Peoples.

The STAP information note on “strengthening source-to-sea approaches in the GEF” provides an overview of the S2S concept, highlighting the important role the GEF has played in advancing the approach, barriers to effective implementation, and presenting advice on how to enhance the adoption and scale up.

Developed in collaboration with the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the GEF, this note highlights best practices and approaches on monitoring, evaluation and learning. These experiences are showcased through four case examples: the Conservation Markets Initiative, led by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; the GEF's Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration; the GEF's Global Wildlife Program; and, the Snow Leopard Recovery Program, led by the Snow Leopard Trust.