Inception Meeting GEF8 “Enhanced protected areas network for biodiversity conservation and development"
Organizers: Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, Secretariat of Carpathian Convention, UNEP – Vienna
On 19 December 2025, the GEF-8 Ukraine Project Inception Meeting was successfully held online, marking the official launch of the project preparatory phase for the medium-sized GEF project “Enhanced protected areas network for biodiversity conservation and development” in the Ukrainian Carpathians.
The meeting was co-organized by the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention, with support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). It brought together a high number of participants representing relevant national institutions, experts, and key stakeholders (over 80+ participants).
The objective of the inception meeting was to present the proposed project objectives, components, and the work plan for the project preparatory phase, and to collect feedback from stakeholders. The project aims to strengthen the protected areas network, enhance biodiversity conservation, and increase climate resilience in the Ukrainian Carpathians, while supporting sustainable development.
The Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention and UNEP highly appreciated the strong engagement and valuable contributions provided by participants during the discussions, which will play an important role in further shaping the project during its preparatory phase.
The Secretariat would like to thank the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine for the excellent cooperation in organizing the meeting and all stakeholders for their active participation. Continued collaboration with relevant partners will follow as part of the project development process.
