By Ms. Priyanka Pandey,Representative of the CBD Women’s Caucus to the GBF Fund Council
Curious to know what unfolded during the 4th GBFF Council meeting?
Here you are going to discover what really happened through a gender lens…
On June 6, 2025, the CBD Women’s Caucus participated in the Fourth Council Meeting of the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF), a key decision-making space in the global push to finance biodiversity action under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
With an emphasis on rights-based finance, gender justice, and grassroots women’s participation, the CBD Women’s Caucus (CBD WC) called for the institutionalization of Observer roles, underscoring that meaningful participation is not just symbolic but essential for achieving the Global Biodiversity Framework’s targets.
The 4th GBFF Council meeting held in Washington, DC, convened high-level representatives from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) donor and recipient countries, implementing agencies, civil society organizations, Indigenous people, local communities, Women, and Youth. The meeting focused on reviewing and approving:
- A $25.68 million Work Program for projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Peru, and the Sangha Tri-National region (Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Congo);
- A Progress Report highlighting gaps in financial flows and a call for enhanced resource mobilization;
- The GBFF’s first formative evaluation with recommendations on project coordination and inclusivity.
- The fiscal year 2026 Administrative Budget and Business Plan reflects cost-cutting without affecting implementation quality.
While much of the technical agenda was handled efficiently, civil society voices—including those of women—continued to call for deeper and more formalized participation in these influential spaces. Ms. Priyanka Pandey (Nepal) and Ms. Edda Fernández Luisseli (Mexico) represented the CBD Women’s Caucus (CBD WC) as official Observers of the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund. They delivered a joint opening statement in collaboration with the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB) and the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN)
Joint Statement and Proposals from Key Constituencies
In the statement delivered by the CBD WC, on behalf of the three constituencies (Indigenous people and local communities (IIFB), Women (CBD WC) and youth (GYBN))
- Reaffirmed their mandate from the CBD and COP16 to participate meaningfully in GBFF governance;
- The whole-of-society approach is promoted by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
- Expressed concern over the limited clarity and structure of Observer participation after three Council meetings;
- Proposed concrete next steps, including a dedicated agenda item to enhance Observer roles and the use of a standard input template before Council meetings.
The group of the three constituencies (Indigenous people and local communities (IIFB), Women (CBD WC), and youth (GYBN)) proposed that the Council:
- Include Observer engagement as an official agenda item
- Create a dedicated template for Observer comments before Council meetings
Putting Gender Justice at the Heart of Biodiversity Finance
The CBD WC’s engagement emphasized that gender justice must be integral to biodiversity finance. Throughout the day, discussions repeatedly pointed to gaps in implementation mechanisms and the need for targeted, inclusive finance, including for Indigenous women, local women leaders, and gender-transformative biodiversity strategies.
Though not yet institutionalized, the joint intervention sparked dialogue among Council members and the Secretariat about the value of engaging Observers more meaningfully. Throughout the meeting, women’s and girls’ rights and gender-responsive finance emerged across several conversations:
- India, Germany, and Brazil raised concerns about project risk profiles, social safeguards, and the need to improve co-financing mechanisms.
- Lesotho and Peru’s projects were highlighted as examples of Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ engagement, but lacked clear gender analysis or evaluation metrics.
- A gender-responsive lens was called for in the upcoming Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Guidelines being developed by the GEF. Secretariat.
- Several donor countries—Canada, the United Kingdom, and Norway—voiced support for more inclusive tracking systems and improved Observer input.
Results Unveiled & What’s Coming Next
The Council approved several key decisions, including:
- A $25.68 million Work Program with a focus on community-based conservation and ecosystem-level planning;
- A request for the Secretariat to develop guidelines for tracking and reporting resources for Indigenous Peoples and local communities;
- The creation of a Resource Mobilization Strategy and an updated GBFF Results Framework for the next Council meeting.
Although no decision on Observer mechanisms was adopted during this session, the intervention was welcomed by the GEF Secretariat and led to commitments for:
- Pre-Council Observer briefings to be institutionalized starting from the next meeting
- Consideration of a formal feedback system ahead of Council sessions
- Greater transparency in tracking Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and gender-related allocations in GBFF-funded projects
For the CBD Women’s Caucus, this meeting marked a clear step forward in visibility and influence, but now what comes next:
- Engaging with the GEF Secretariat to follow up on proposed mechanisms for Observer input;
- Co-developing a submission with youth and Indigenous partners for improved Observer engagement structures;
- Preparing for CBD COP17, where financing, implementation, and inclusion will again be under review.
Watch the full statement ▶️
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position or opinions of the CBD Women’s Caucus.
