The GEF International Waters (IW) focal area’s specific mandate is to support transboundary cooperation in shared marine and freshwater ecosystems. Since the inception of the GEF in the early 1990s, the IW portfolio has delivered substantive results and replicable experiences in integrated water resource resources management to be scaled-up and mainstreamed globally. The portfolio operates in transboundary water systems, such as shared river basins, lakes, groundwater and large marine ecosystems, fostering cooperation among various partners and stakeholders in addressing complex and long-lasting marine resource and/or freshwater-use conflicts and achieving long-term benefits.

The GEF-8 programming architecture builds on the successful approach in GEF-7 of investing in integrated programming and focal area actions to maximize potential for more impactful outcomes to ultimately support Convention needs and expectations.

Major changes from GEF-7 strategy:

1. Increased focus on the implementation of Strategic Action Programs
2. Enhanced support to joint action on sustainable Blue Economic Development
3. Advanced attention to food, water, and ecosystem security through a nexus approach
    

KEY OBJECTIVES IN THE GEF-8 INTERNATIONAL WATERS STRATEGY:

1. Accelerate joint action to support a Sustainable Blue Economy
2. Advanced management in the Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ)
3. Enhance water security in shared freshwater ecosystems

Objective 1. Accelerate joint action to support a Sustainable Blue Economy
Investments will be strengthening nations' sustainable blue economy opportunities, through two areas of strategic transboundary action: 

1. Sustaining healthy blue ecosystems
   Under this objective, GEF-8 will support regional investments that:

• Lead to cooperative legal and institutional frameworks built on TDAs/SAPs approach, towards addressing the multiple anthropogenic pressures, including, but not limited to climate, nutrient, noise pollution, upstream plastic issues and improved management-related effects in the LMEs.
• Contribute to the implementation of Strategic Action Programmes to support a Sustainable Blue Economy by the deployment of tools such as MSP, MPA, NbS and PES.
• Foster collaboration among LMEs, Regional Seas Conventions and Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) to protect and restore these key habitats.
• Create multi-state cooperation frameworks in transboundary deltas including an integrated source-to-sea approach;
• Develop and update Marine Spatial Plans and Sustainable Blue Economy Plans to inform policy decisions in the EEZ.
•  Establish and support marine protected areas of national and international importance, and their transboundary connection if identified in SAPs, and other area-based conservation measures in key biodiversity hotspots and coastal habitats through regional investments under LME SAPs.
• Restore degraded key marine and coastal habitats through the deployment of Nature-based Solutions and Payment for ecosystem services demonstrations.
• Mainstream marine area-based management and spatial tools in regional entities, to deliver towards global targets.
• Stimulate private sector engagement, through relevant industry sectoral roundtables and industry groups

2. Advancing sustainable fisheries management.
   Under this objective the GEF will support:

• Formulation of (including updates to) Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis and Strategic Action Programmes.
• Policy and regulatory reforms to end IUU, overfishing, limit by-catch and sustainably manage marine capture fisheries, while taking human rights and broader environmental aspects into consideration.
• Advancement of adoption and implementation of the Port State Measures Agreement.
• Strengthening and creating policy frameworks, including work with countries to eliminate harmful incentive structures.
• Implementation of market mechanisms to support sustainable fisheries value chains.
• Strengthening and creating policy frameworks, including working with countries to eliminate harmful incentive structures.
• Standard setting for sustainable aquaculture to regulate fishmeal supply, enhance marine ecosystem health, and livelihoods, and improve food and nutrition security.
• Advancement of spatial zoning instruments (marine spatial plans) to define the boundaries over which aquaculture sustainability should be assessed.
• Development of sustainability indicators and monitoring systems with respect to the local ecological carrying capacities, taking into account observed and projected impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, natural disasters, overfishing, and pollution.
• Reliable data to inform policy and decision making, to inform capacity building, policy reform, and piloting of innovation and best available tech.
• De-risking innovation through incremental finance and piloting innovative technologies.

Objective 2. Advance management in the Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ)
Under objective 2 the GEF will support actions that:

• Improve access to data and information to improve capacity to implement and enforce PSMA and combat IUU fishing.
• Support national ratification and implementation of the Port State Management Agreement.
• Support regional/global efforts on Monitoring, Control and Surveillance of fishing activities.
• Support opportunities for establishing connections between governance arrangements in LMEs with the ABNJ.
• At the request of the negotiating parties to an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, once negotiations have concluded, and with the agreement of the GEF Council, support national ratification and implementation of the instrument.
• Advance global buy-in of industry standards and food safety protocols, as key drivers of ocean value chains.
• Consider best practices and lessons learned from appropriate regional and sectoral organizations.

Objective 3. Enhance water security in shared freshwater ecosystems
Under this objective, the GEF will support:

• Formulation of, and updates to, Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis and Strategic Action Programmes.
• Implementation of SAP priorities through regional and national actions.
• Policy legal reforms and improved management strategies to address the loss of connectivity and freshwater biodiversity and to support the sustainable management of freshwater fisheries (including addressing IUU fishing) and aquaculture.
• National reform of policies, strategies, and regulations in accordance with regional agreements and MEA commitments.
• Improved policy formulation processes, IWRM implementation, and conjunctive management of surface and groundwater resources.
•  Build capacity to gather and synthesize scientific, local, and people science and mainstream it into decision-making processes.
• Establishment of flood and drought early warning systems and disaster risk management plans.
• Nature-based Solutions to improve water quality, and freshwater ecosystem health, including wetlands, and curb floods, droughts, climate change impacts, river/lake shoreline deterioration and further aquifer recharge.
• Ensure the inclusion of the ecosystem dimension into the water, energy, and food nexus, to further environmental and water security.
• Testing Paying for Ecosystems Services in transboundary contexts and between ecosystems.
• Supply chain approaches for increased water efficiency and reduction of ecosystem pressures.
• Increase water efficiency, reuse, and reduce point and non-point sources of pollution addressing both primary and emerging pollutants, along the source-to-sea continuously.
• De-risking innovation through incremental finance and piloting innovative technologies.
• Support fragile and/or conflict-affected countries, via a country-based pilot to fully engage in the transboundary process.