CEO of Gobal Environment Facility, Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, to visit Sweden

The CEO of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Carlos Manuel Rodríguez will visit Stockholm on 1–2 April for meetings with Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa and Minister for Climate and the Environment Romina Pourmokhtari. In connection with the visit, meetings will also be held with the Riksdag’s Committee on Environment and Agriculture, the business sector, universities, civil society organisations and representatives of public authorities.

On 1 April, Mr Dousa and Ms Pourmokhtari will meet with Mr Rodríguez.

The purpose of the visit is to discuss Swedish priorities ahead of the GEF’s ninth replenishment, which will begin this year and conclude in the first half of 2026. The GEF is a key operator in global environmental efforts. It works to safeguard biodiversity, save endangered species, clean up plastic from the world’s oceans and phase out persistent organic pollutants that poison our environment.

“I’m proud that the Government is prioritising and expanding its climate aid by way of support for the Global Environment Facility. I’m looking forward to discussing with Carlos Manuel how we can work together to reinforce the work of the GEF and increase its cost-efficiency, not least through cooperation with private operators,” says Mr Dousa. 

“Our ambition is to safeguard biodiversity, combat climate change and protect the world’s oceans. The entire global economy is built upon a functioning ecosystem and a thriving natural world. Through these important investments, we are safeguarding the value chains on which Sweden is dependent for greater growth and prosperity,” adds Ms Pourmokhtari. 

About the Global Environment Facility

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) was established in 1991 in connection with the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, at which the three Rio conventions – the Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) – were established. Through the GEF, low- and middle-income countries can get support with implementing investments in the climate and environment that help them achieve global targets. Countries can obtain support in areas such as emission reductions, protection of biodiversity, international oceans, phasing out of harmful chemicals, safe handling of waste and sustainable land use.

The GEF’s secretariat also hosts a number of trust funds, including the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), to which Sweden contributed SEK 130 million in 2024. Discussions are under way for the GEF to be part of the implementation of an international agreement on plastics in the future.

Sweden provides a substantial contribution of SEK 4.1 billion to the GEF. The support is disbursed over a ten-year period between 2023–2032.

In 2025, Sweden will contribute over SEK 2.7 billion to climate and environmental funds; an increase of 13 per cent compared to 2022. Climate aid has also increased overall since 2022.

Cassien Tribunal Aingane, Editor