Notification 2021-048

Dear Madam/Sir, As noted at the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI) at the first session of its third meeting held online from 16 May to 13 June 2021, the Secretariat is relaunching the questionnaire survey concerning funding needs for the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Protocols for the eighth replenishment period of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The questionnaire was originally circulated to Parties via notification 2020-021 (https://www.cbd.int/doc/notifications/2020/ntf-2020-021-gef-en.pdf) on 18 February 2020. In considering its agenda item on the financial mechanism, the Subsidiary Body on Implementation acknowledged the interim report on the full assessment of funding necessary and available for the implementation of the Convention and its Protocols for the eighth replenishment period of the GEF, noting that the interim report is based on limited data from a small number of GEF recipient countries, as a result of the low level of response to the questionnaire concerning GEF-8 funding needs. Accordingly, the Chair of the Subsidiary Body encouraged relevant Parties to complete the questionnaire as soon as possible, so that the Secretariat and expert group can update the analysis before COP 15. The approved conference room paper and the report of the first part of the third meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation will be made available on the webpage of the meeting at https://www.cbd.int/conferences/sbstta24-sbi3/sbi-03/documents. I am, therefore, inviting those Parties eligible to receive GEF support, that have not yet done so, to forward to the Secretariat their submission by e-mail to secretariat@cbd.int as soon as possible, but no later than 17 September 2021. The questionnaire and a note providing guidance on its completion are available at the following webpage: https://www.cbd.int/financial/gef8needs.shtml. The webpage also provides other information pertinent to the assessment of funding needs for the implementation of the Convention and its Protocols for the eighth replenishment period (July 2022 to June 2026) of the Trust Fund of the GEF, including the submissions that have been received from Parties. I thank you for your cooperation and continued support to the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Protocols.

Executive Secretary

To: National Focal Points of CBD, Cartagena Protocol and ABS