The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a financial mechanism established in 1991 as a pilot program at the World Bank, then restructured in 1994 after the Rio Earth Summit to become an independent permanent institution. It provides grants and concessional finance to developing countries and economies in transition for projects that generate global environmental benefits.
The GEF serves as a designated financial mechanism for several major multilateral environmental agreements, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, and the Minamata Convention on Mercury. It does not serve the Montreal Protocol, which has its own Multilateral Fund.
The GEF's governance includes an Assembly of all participating countries, a Council that functions as its main governing board with balanced representation between donor and recipient countries, and a Secretariat based in Washington, D.C. Projects are implemented through partner agencies — originally the World Bank, UNDP, and UNEP, later expanded to include regional development banks, FAO, IFAD, and several conservation NGOs.
Funding is replenished roughly every four years through donor pledges. The GEF also administers two affiliated funds created under the UNFCCC: the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), both focused on adaptation. It is distinct from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), established in 2010 under the UNFCCC, although the two cooperate on climate finance.
In 2022, at CBD COP15 in Montreal, parties agreed to establish a new Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) under the GEF to support implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework; it was launched in 2023.
For MUN delegates, the GEF is frequently cited in resolutions on climate finance, biodiversity, and capacity-building, particularly in discussions of how to operationalize commitments made by developed countries to support developing ones.
Example
In June 2023, the GEF Council approved the launch of the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund to help implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at CBD COP15.
Frequently asked questions
The GEF (1991) covers multiple environmental conventions including biodiversity, land, and chemicals, while the Green Climate Fund (2010) was created specifically under the UNFCCC to finance climate mitigation and adaptation at larger scale.
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