Carlos Manuel Rodríguez was reappointed right this moment as CEO and Chairperson of the World Surroundings Facility (GEF). He was elected for a second four-year time period by 2028 by 32 Council members representing the GEF’s 186 member international locations.
“I’m honored to be appointed to steer the GEF because it will increase and accelerates its assist to international locations to attain world environmental advantages throughout difficult occasions for the planet and folks. I sit up for persevering with to implement transformative modifications that can make this partnership much more built-in, inclusive, and impactful,” mentioned Rodríguez.
“2030 is across the nook and the world continues to wrestle to maintain on the rails with the local weather, nature, and air pollution targets. Corrective actions are wanted now and to be on observe with all targets, nations want the assist of a GEF that’s greater in ambition, bolder in motion, and higher in impression,” he added.
Laura Aguirre, Chair of the Choice and Overview Committee and Mexico GEF Council Member mentioned: “The Council has determined to reappoint Carlos Manuel Rodríguez for a second time period because the GEF’s CEO and Chairperson, recognizing his sturdy efficiency and management in his first time period. Carlos Manuel, the GEF household, and the worldwide neighborhood are relying on you.”
Dawda Badgie, Government Director of the Nationwide Surroundings Company of Gambia and Co-Chair of the 67th GEF Council at present going down in Washington, DC, mentioned: “Mr. Rodríguez’s management has been instrumental in advancing modifications to extend the GEF’s function and impression in response to the worldwide environmental crises. We sit up for persevering with to assist his work by the GEF-9 replenishment course of and to speed up the achievement of bold world environmental advantages, significantly in Africa.”
Throughout his first time period, Rodríguez led the file GEF-8 replenishment in 2022, which obtained $5.33 billion in pledges from 29 donor governments. The GEF’s mandate additionally broadened over this era, because it was chosen to deal with the brand new World Biodiversity Framework Fund and have become a part of the monetary mechanism of the Settlement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity in Areas Past Nationwide Jurisdiction, referred to as BBNJ.
The Least Developed Nations Fund (LDCF) supplies implementation assist to all LDCs and is on observe in GEF-8 to supply $1 billion to handle their local weather adaptation priorities. The Particular Local weather Change Fund (SCCF) has sharpened its focus to supply focused assist to SIDS, whereas additionally facilitating know-how switch and personal sector engagement.
Underneath Rodríguez’s management, the GEF Secretariat undertook a reform to extend effectivity, effectiveness, and impression addressing the speedy wants of GEF-8 and looking forward to GEF-9 and past. The GEF additionally created 11 Built-in Applications to handle a number of threats concurrently, equivalent to environmental degradation linked to cities, meals techniques, plastics, ocean, and forest administration.
Earlier than changing into GEF CEO in 2020, Rodríguez served three phrases as Minister of Surroundings and Power of Costa Rica, a interval throughout which the nation doubled the scale of its forests, made its energy sector one hundred pc renewable, and have become a high ecotourism vacation spot. Rodríguez was a pioneer within the improvement of fee for ecosystem companies, ocean conservation, and de-carbonization methods, and is an professional in environmental insurance policies, multilateral negotiations, and financing for nature conservation.
