Determination of Funding Needs

“In anticipation of the replenishment of GEF, the Conference of the Parties will make an assessment of the amount of funds that are necessary to assist developing countries, in accordance with the guidance provided by the Conference of the Parties, in fulfilling their commitments under the Convention over the next GEF replenishment cycle” … MOU, paragraph 5.1

The assessment of the amount of funds that are necessary to assist developing countries, in accordance with the guidance provided by the Conference of the Parties, in fulfilling their commitments under the Convention over the next GEF replenishment cycle, takes into account:

1. Article 20, paragraph 2, and Article 21, paragraph 1, of the Convention;
2. Guidance to the financial mechanism from the Conference of the Parties which calls for future financial resources;
3. The information communicated to the Conference of the Parties in the national reports submitted in accordance with Article 26 of the Convention;
4. National strategies, plans or programs developed in accordance with Article 6 of the Convention;
5. Information communicated to the Conference of the Parties from GEF on the number of eligible programmes and projects that were submitted to GEF, the number that were approved for funding, and the number that were turned down owing to lack of resources;
6. Experience gained by those concerned in the implementation of projects.

On the occasion of each replenishment, GEF will, in its regular report to the Conference of the Parties, indicate how it has responded during the replenishment cycle to the previous assessment by the Conference of the Parties and inform the Conference of the Parties of the conclusion of replenishment negotiations. On the basis of the report, the Conference of the Parties will review the amount of funding necessary for the implementation of the Convention, on the occasion of each replenishment of the financial mechanism.

Decision X/26 sets out the terms of reference for the first assessment of funding needs. For the biennium 2011-2012, the following activities are expected:

• The Executive Secretary to contract a team of five experts, with two from developing country Parties, two from developed country Parties, and one from international non-governmental organization, to prepare a report on the full assessment of funding necessary and available for the implementation of the Convention for the period July 2014 to June 2018;
• In preparing the assessment report, the expert team to undertake such interviews, surveys, quantitative and qualitative analyses, and consultation, as may be required;
• The Global Environment Facility and the Executive Secretary to conduct a review of the draft assessment reports of the expert team to ensure accuracy and consistency of approach and data;
• The Executive Secretary to ensure that the assessment report of the expert team will be distributed to all Parties one month before the fourth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention;
• The fourth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention to consider the expert team’s assessment report and make recommendations for consideration by the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties;
• The Conference of the Parties at its eleventh meeting to make a decision on the assessment of the amount of funds that are necessary for the implementation of the Convention for the sixth replenishment period of the Trust Fund of the Global Environment Facility, and communicate the results to the Global Environment Facility accordingly.

Further readings

Decision X/26: Assessment of the amount of funds needed for the implementation of the Convention for the sixth replenishment period of the Global Environment Facility

Methodologies that might be used to estimate funding needs (UNEP/CBD/IC/2/16, 25 April 1994) (en es fr ar ru zh)