The 10th International Waters Conference of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) was held on September 23-26, 2024 in Punta del Este, Uruguay.

IWC10 was organized under the theme “Transformative actions and impacts for the water and ocean SDGs: The GEF IW response to the global challenge” and brought together more than 300 participants representing about 100 active GEF IW projects from 80 countries and various GEF agencies.

The conference was important event in the GEF IW portfolio of investments. Over a 30-year period, the GEF has financed more than 480 international waters projects, invested about $2.8 billion in grants and mobilized about $8.7 billion in co-financing in more than 170 countries.

The conference presented the results and experience of GEF project management in addressing water issues, water resources management, biodiversity in river basins, oceans, etc. Participants benefited greatly from plenary and interactive sessions, trainings and exchange of experiences on problems, opportunities and solutions. At the pre-conference workshops held on September 21-22, 2024 in Montevideo, Uruguay, at the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), participants were presented with project management methods, financial instruments and communication. 

New GEF projects were also presented at the conference, one of which is the Central Asian Cryosphere project, which is being implemented in the countries of Central Asia and the Central Asian Regional Glaciological Centre under the auspices of UNESCO is the implementing partner.

The conference was attended by the Director of the Central Asian Regional Glaciological Centre of Category 2 under the auspices of UNESCO, Takir Balykbayev, as part of the delegation from the project.

During the conference, technical visits were organized for participants to water management facilities and nature reserves in Uruguay.