CBD-GEF-GCF collaboration for a paradigm-shift towards large-scale ecosystem protection, restoration, and adaptive management in the context of the climate-biodiversity nexus
The Convention on Biological Diversity, the Global Environment Facility and the Green Climate Fund possess complementary mandates in the context of the climate and biodiversity nexus.
Successive decisions dedicated to climate change and biodiversity from the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity since its seventh meeting, among others, call for financial support to capacity-building by applying the ecosystem approach, synergy-oriented programmes to conserve and sustainably manage all ecosystems, and country-driven activities and projects that take into account impacts of climate change.
The scientific judgment confirms that most of the targets proposed for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework have direct or indirect impacts on climate change mitigation, in terms of potential contribution to carbon capture, storage, and sequestration, the albedo effect, and non-CO2 greenhouse gas fluxes, even though they are not primarily designed with this intention, and that the targets are also expected to contribute significantly to adaptation to climate change.
The Global Environment Facility is the institutional structure operating the financial mechanism of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and serves in a similar capacity for other global environmental conventions, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its legal instruments, and is positioned to address synergistic results in the areas of climate, biodiversity, land degradation and chemicals by enabling countries to maximize multiple benefits across the Conventions.
In this regard, programming directions for the eighth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund (2022-2026), include eleven integrated programmes targeted at the key common drivers of climate change and biodiversity loss, such as those addressing food systems, deforestation, pollution, urbanization and infrastructure development, as well as major synergistic opportunities in ecosystem restoration, wildlife conservation, islands and oceans.
The Global Environment Facility and the Green Climate Fund cooperate closely in the frames of the “long-term vision on complementarity, coherence, and collaboration” between the two Funds to enhance planning, implementation and outcomes of global environmental investments through collaborative and coordinated programming, sharing information, lessons learned and knowledge, and communication and outreach, in line with the operational framework for complementarity and coherence approved by the Board of the Green Climate Fund.
The Green Climate Fund, within its relevant result areas, promotes a vision for a paradigm-shift towards large-scale protection, restoration, and adaptive management of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and coastal and marine zones, which can be particularly relevant in the context of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.
About one third of projects and programmes recently approved by the Green Climate Fund demonstrate strong linkages with biodiversity and ecosystems and provide co-benefits for biodiversity, well in line with the scientific conclusions on the scale of the potential contribution of nature-based solutions to climate change. The post-2020 global biodiversity framework may present new operational opportunities for the Green Climate Fund, as considered in the context of the review and update of the Strategic Plan for 2024-2027 of the Green Climate Fund.
We, the Heads of secretariats of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Global Environment Facility and the Green Climate Fund, having met on 17 December 2022, have agreed to collaborate as outlined below, building upon our respective mandates:
1) We will build on the best practice to support large-scale actions at the nexus between climate change and biodiversity, including the Great Green Wall Initiative with support from the Green Climate Fund, the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and continue to share funding experience, knowledge and lessons for how the climate and biodiversity challenges can be confronted together effectively;
2) We commit to work together to foster large-scale climate resilient and biodiversity positive projects and programmes to protect, restore and manage terrestrial and marine ecosystems, in line with our respective mandates and institutional strengths, strategic plans and operational frameworks, and guided by our governing bodies;
3) To this end, we will collaborate to promote strategic, project and programming alignment at national, regional and international levels, with the post-2020 global biodiversity framework and the Paris Agreement;
4) We will cooperate to encourage effective collaboration and mutual supportiveness among national focal points of relevant multilateral environmental agreements and their financial mechanisms, including national dialogues, country support programming, investment frameworks and capacity building dedicated to climate change and biodiversity, guided by the principle of country ownership;
5) We will continue to support national planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity, including: updated National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) aligned to the post-2020 global biodiversity framework; Long-term Strategies (LTS); Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs); National Adaptation Plans (NAPs); and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets;
6) We will continue to explore innovative instruments and methods to integrate climate resilience and biodiversity positivity in private sector finance and capital markets, and support necessary national regulatory, financial and fiscal reforms as well as safeguards to create favorable enabling environments for private sector participation and for catalyzing private sector finance, in line with our respective strategies and plans;
7) We will enhance outreach and communication efforts to improve visibility of joint efforts on climate change and biodiversity, and communicate regularly on our efforts and initiatives to our respective governing bodies as well as share experiences to relevant national, regional and global collaborating financing platforms;
8) We will continue to promote systematic integration of a gender perspective, full engagement with and prior informed consent of indigenous peoples and local communities in financing the climate resilient and biodiversity positive transformation for sustainability, in line with our respective strategies, policies and plans;
9) We will hold an annual dialogue on financing the nexus between climate change and biodiversity, including monitoring, review and updating of our joint activities and initiatives.
Yannick Glemarec, Executive Director, Green Climate Fund
Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility, Least Developed Countries Fund, Special Climate Change Fund
Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity
