Global leaders unite in Samarkand for 2026 GEF Assembly on sustainability

The Eighth Global Environment Facility (GEF) Assembly will take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from May 30 to June 6, 2026. This major event, held once every four years, brings together global leaders to push forward environmental action. Ministers, business heads, civil society representatives, and Indigenous Peoples will attend alongside GEF agencies to shape future sustainability efforts. The GEF Assembly serves as the organisation’s highest decision-making body. Its goal this year is to speed up progress toward worldwide environmental targets. A packed schedule of side events will run alongside the main sessions.

On June 3, the first side event, *Panama: Setting the global decadal agenda for area-based conservation*, starts at 17:00 in the Onyx Room. Two days later, June 4 features three key discussions. At 12:30, *The Dryland Dividend* takes place in the Emerald Room, while *Transforming Food Systems through Regenerative Landscapes* runs simultaneously in the Zircon Room. Later, at 14:00, the Onyx Room hosts *Regional Cooperation for Connected Landscapes in Central Asia and Eastern Europe under GEF-9*. The final day of side events, June 5, includes three sessions. At 15:00, attendees can choose between *South-South and triangular cooperation for biodiversity resilience* in the Onyx Room or *Scaling-Up CSO-led Environmental Solutions* in the Zyrcon Room. The closing event, *Powering transformational conservation*, begins at 16:30, also in the Zyrcon Room. The full schedule is available online.

The Assembly will gather diverse voices to tackle urgent environmental challenges. Decisions made in Samarkand could influence global conservation and sustainability policies for years ahead. A detailed programme of side events offers further opportunities for collaboration and innovation.