Forestry, Fisheries and Environment hosts GEF Expanded Constituency Workshop for the Southern Africa region, 20 to23 Jan

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) will host the GEF Expanded Constituency Workshop for the Southern Africa region from 20-23 January 2025 in Johannesburg, Gauteng. 

The Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Mr. Narend Singh, will deliver the opening remarks at the four-day workshop, where 10 participating countries will discuss strategies and opportunities to strengthen environmental actions and generate lasting environmental benefits for people and planet. The participants include government officials, international agencies, multilateral environmental agreements, and civil society organizations. 

The ECW will focus on the GEF approach on "Integration for Impact," highlighting the importance of unified approaches to invest in global environmental benefits across GEF’s focal areas. The workshop will also include a site visit to a GEF project in South Africa, providing practical insights into the application of integrated strategies.

During the workshop, the participants will visit the project Building a resilient and resource-efficient Johannesburg: increased access to urban services and improved quality of life, being implemented by the DFFE, the Development Bank of South Africa and the United Nations Environment Programme with funding by the GEF to promote sustainable urban development.

Members of the media are invited to attend the opening ceremony, the details below: 
Date: Monday, 20 January 2025
Time: 08h30
Venue: Radisson Blu Gautrain Hotel, Sandton, Johannesburg

To RSVP, please contact Alexandre Pinheiro Rego arego@gef.org or Michael Mokoena 082 906 5795 / mmokoena@dffe.gov.za 

For media enquiries, please contact Peter Mbelengwa: 082 611 8197 / pmbelengwa@dffe.gov.za 
Alexandre Pinheiro Rego: +1-202-812-2554 / arego@thegef.org