GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY (GEF)

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a multilateral financial mechanism established in 1991 to support global environmental projects. It operates as a partnership of 184 countries, international organizations, and civil society organizations.

Objectives:

The GEF provides grants to developing countries to help them –

tackle global environmental problems, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, and pollution.
The GEF funds projects in six focal areas, which include biodiversity, climate change, international waters, chemicals and waste, land degradation, and sustainable forest management.

Operation and funding:

The GEF operates through a series of funding cycles, in which countries and organizations submit proposals for projects that are evaluated based on their potential environmental benefits and their alignment with GEF objectives.

The GEF provides funding for projects that are approved through these cycles and supports project implementation and monitoring to ensure that they achieve their intended environmental outcomes.

The GEF is also involved in supporting global environmental governance and policy development, including through its involvement in international environmental conventions, such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Since its establishment, the GEF has provided over $20 billion in grants to support environmental projects in over 170 countries. Its work has contributed to the conservation of biodiversity, the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, and the sustainable management of natural resources.