Iwlearn

- Join the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on 8 June for a critical discussion on strengthening ocean protection, resilience, and investment.

The webinar brings together policymakers, financial institutions, Regional Seas, and technical experts to explore practical solutions on:
🔹 Regional cooperation & pollution reduction
🔹 Science, data, and turning commitments into action
🔹 Financing vital coastal ecosystems

📅 Date: Monday, 8 June 2026
⏰ Time: 3:00–4:00 PM
💻 Platform: Online

Don't miss out on shaping the future of our oceans.
👉 Register here: https://loom.ly/hxnV_UE

Let's celebrate with the power of the community that makes protecting our world possible!

Environmental resilience isn't just about technical solutions - it's about people. Across the international waters portfolio, local communities are driving the long-term governance and protection of our planet's vital ecosystems.

Check out the stories we're highlighting in the carousel:

🌴 In the Amazon, local communities are protecting key species like morete, ungurahua, and açaí palms by building sustainable value chains for chemical-free food products and oils.

🪸 From Fiji to Frankfurt, conservation leader Neelam Bhan is pioneering community-led, eco-friendly nearshore anchored Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) to actively conserve and restore precious coral reefs.

🦀 In Indonesia’s Hoat Sorbay Bay, the GEF-6 Coastal Fisheries Initiative blends community participation, scientific data, and traditional "Sasi" wisdom to combat overfishing and secure wild crab stocks.

💧 In Metapán, an essential truth is being proven: strengthening water systems fundamentally means strengthening local leadership, infrastructure governance, and the climate response capacity of the community.

All full stories can be found here: https://loom.ly/nKVpMtw

Which story inspires you the most? 👇

Today, 4 June, we had yet another intense, but productive day at the GEF Assembly in Samarkand.

We kicked off the morning at the Plenary in the Grand Hall for the official Opening Ceremony. The session opened with a powerful film highlighting global environmental challenges and Uzbekistan’s vital role in international cooperation with the GEF. Following warm welcoming remarks from our hosts, the Government of Uzbekistan, and an inspiring opening address by the GEF, we were treated to a cultural performance and a moving theatrical piece titled Mother Nature.

Later in the afternoon, the focus shifted to action and regional collaboration during Roundtable 9. We gathered in the Diamond Room for a high-level discussion on nexus approaches to environmental challenges in Central Asia and their global scalability.

The highlight of the session was celebrating the official launch of the GEF-8 Central Asia Water Land Nexus (CAWLN) program’s implementation phase! The high-level panel featured insights from three Ministers representing CAWLN project countries and brought together key environmental leaders, including Claude Gascon (GEF CEO) and moderator Francesca Bernardini (Water Convention, UNECE).

Another exciting day at the GEF Assembly in Samarkand!

We started the morning strong with our learning station, "Strategies to Successfully Engage the Private Sector at the Global, National, and Local Level." The session delved into a critical question: What drives different stakeholders to engage, and how can we tailor strategies to meet their needs? We were thrilled to ground the discussion in practical, real-world experiences, drawing insights from initiatives like the Plastic Reboot IP (see photo!).

The momentum continued into the afternoon at the GEF Cryosphere project side event. This session was a powerful testament to collaboration, bringing together civil society, Indigenous Peoples, the GEF Secretariat, agencies, donors, and country representatives. It was an inspiring space for meaningful dialogue, knowledge exchange, and building the partnerships necessary to tackle our most urgent global environmental priorities.

Looking forward to what the rest of the Assembly brings!

Today our attention was drawn to the Learning Stations, particularly one on "Designing for Delivery: The Whole-of-Society Approach Under GEF-9."

Moving beyond standard consultations, this session dove deep into how we can operationalize meaningful participation and shared implementation. From local NGOs and community-based organizations to Indigenous Peoples, women’s groups, and youth organizations - true environmental impact relies on strengthening inclusion at every level.

💡 Missed the session? You can still catch the Learning Stations running through June 3rd in the Diamond Room to get practical insights on country programming, national coordination, and maximizing GEF-9 project impact.

The 71st GEF Council and the Eighth Global Environment Facility Assembly are taking place from May 30 to June 6, 2026, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Under the theme of accelerating action toward 2030 goals, global environmental leaders are gathering to shape the future of environmental sustainability.

Our Project coordinator, Konstantina Toli, will be there to facilitate dynamic learning stations, support key side events, share insights, discuss transboundary water management, and connect with partners across the International Waters portfolio.

Are you attending? Let's connect and reach out to Konstantina to set up a meeting at the event.

Did you miss the Source-to-Sea Cooperation webinars last week? Worry not - you can now watch the recordings of both sessions and catch all the insights provided by our global guest speakers.

From highlighting the critical role of civil society to praising the clear, step-by-step approach of the new guidance, discover what our speakers had to say and learn how applying these principles can directly benefit your International Waters project.

👉 Watch them here: https://loom.ly/zHRfBFs

🌊 Land, rivers, coasts, and oceans are not separate domains, they are parts of a deeply interdependent system.

When we manage freshwater and coastal waters in isolation, we miss the bigger picture. Upstream actions always impact downstream ecosystems.

That’s why we need a Source-to-Sea (S2S) approach. 🌍

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our brand-new publication by IW:LEARN! This guide offers the clear, practical, and experience-based guidance that project teams need to bring S2S principles to life.

Inside, you’ll find:
🔹 Step-by-step roadmaps for project cycles.
🔹 Practical checklists for implementation.
🔹 Real success stories from Global Environment Facility (GEF) International Waters projects worldwide.

🔗 Check it out now https://loom.ly/l68_Vg8

- HAPPENING TOMORROW!

How do we turn transboundary water cooperation into real-world action across the entire land-to-ocean continuum?

As environmental and climate pressures accelerate, managing land, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems as an interconnected whole is no longer optional - it is critical.

Join the UN Water Convention and IW:LEARN as we present two brand-new guidance publications side-by-side for the very first time. Together, they offer a comprehensive toolkit that pairs strong legal and policy foundations with hands-on, field-tested operational tools to streamline source-to-sea (S2S) management.

📅 Date: 21 May 2026
⏰Session 1: 09:30–10:30 CEST
⏰Session 2: 15:00–16:00 CEST

👉 Register here: https://loom.ly/zHRfBFs

Meet our panel of experts & practitioners:

🎤 Ruth Mathews: Founder of Currents Converge and leading S2S expert facilitating cross-sectoral cooperation for sustainable land-to-ocean ecosystems.

🎤 Sheikh Rokon: Founder of Riverine People and veteran river researcher specializing in transboundary waters and delta community mobilization.

🎤 Nancy Bermas: Regional Project Manager at PEMSEA leading the GEF/UNDP/ASEAN Integrated River Basin Management Project.

🎤 Tassos Krommydas: Senior Programme Officer at GWP-Med advancing Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus activities across the Mediterranean.

🎤 Jared Bosire: Award-winning Marine Scientist with 20+ years of experience leading coastal, marine ecosystem, and policy initiatives.

🎤Harry Liiv: Special Envoy for Transboundary Waters for Estonia and Chair of the UN Water Convention Bureau, leading regional marine and water management policy.

🎤 Laverne Walker: Saint Lucian marine management professional with 25+ years of experience integrating Caribbean watershed and coastal governance.

🎤 Viviane Kinyaga: Transboundary water specialist managing the freshwater-marine continuum across the Orange-Senqu Basin and Benguela Current.

🎤 Mario Escobedo: Regional Project Coordinator at CCAD managing Central American Ridge-to-Reef and Source-to-Sea projects.

🎤 Lucia de Strasser: Environmental Affairs Officer at the UN Water Convention (UNECE) coordinating the global WEFE Nexus Task Force.