Representatives from 185 countries are meeting next week in the Canadian city of Vancouver for the 7th General Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), an organization that works to protect the environment.

The assembly, which begins on August 22 and will last until August 26, will review the current climate situation in the world, characterized by record temperatures in both the air and the sea, deadly and destructive forest fires and extreme floods, and it is hoped that it will serve to outline steps to stop the loss of nature and reduce the heat.

"The loss of nature and climate change are not concerns for the future," said GEF president Carlos Manuel Rodriguez in a press release quoted by Terra magazine.

"This seventh GEF Assembly will have a clear theme: the need to work together in new ways, within and between countries and across sectors, to heal the planet. This means standing shoulder to shoulder as a family - connecting governments, indigenous peoples, companies, local communities and the young leaders who have a clear vision of the present and believe in a better future," he said.

According to an official source from the organization, one of the highlights of the Assembly's agenda will be the launch of the new Global Biodiversity Facility (GBFF).

According to the source, this initiative will serve to boost developing countries' investments in nature and will support Indigenous Peoples and local communities in achieving the goals agreed at the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), which took place in December 2022.