Financial Mechanism and Resources

Second determination of funding requirements

Questionnaire on GEF7 Funding Needs
In accordance with paragraph 11 of the annex to decision XII/30: “the expert team should design a questionnaire on funding needs for the period July 2018 to June 2022 and circulate it to all Parties to the Convention, and the Secretariat, Independent Evaluation Office and agencies of the Global Environment Facility, and include the results in the assessment report."

Notification (SCBD/MPO/AF/YX/84932 (2016-059)) to CBD National Focal Points, indigenous peoples and local communities, and other relevant organizations to respond to the Questionnaire regarding Funding Needs for the Implementation of the Convention and its Protocols for the Seventh Replenishment Period (July 2018 - June 2022) of the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund

Deadline of submission: 31 August 2016

Questionnaire
Guidance on completing the questionnaire
List of frequently asked questions by National Focal Points

Questionnaire
Document D’orientation
Questionnaire sur les besoins de financement pour la mise en oeuvre de la Convention et de ses Protocoles au cours de la septième période de reconstitution (juillet 2018 – juin 2022) de la Caisse du Fonds pour l’environnement mondial

Cuestionario
Documento de Orientacion
Cuestionario sobre las necesidades de financiación para la Aplicación del Convenio y de sus Protocolos conexas al Séptimo Periodo de Reposición (julio 2018 – junio 2022) del Fondo Fiduciario del Fondo para el Medio Ambiente Mundial

Plenary presentation by the Expert Team to the first meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation on 3 May 2016

Earlier information

The questionnaire on funding needs for implementation of the Convention and its Protocols for the seventh replenishment period of the Global Environment Facility, also available in Français and Español, deadline of response: as soon as possible but no later than 19 October 2015

Extension of Deadline to 4 December 2015 for submission of responses to the Questionnaire regarding Funding Needs for the Implementation of the Convention and its Protocols for the Seventh Replenishment Period (July 2018 - June 2022) of the Trust Fund of the Global Environment Facility

Guidance on completing the questionnaire is provided together with the questionnaire, also available in Français and Español

List of frequently asked questions by National Focal Points is available for consultation, also in Français and Español

Africa: Ms. Maria Schultz and Mr. Yasushi Hibi

Extractions of funding information from national reports
Extractions of funding information from national biodiversity strategies and action plans

Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cabo Verde Cameroon Central African Republic
Chad Comoros Congo Côte d'Ivoire D.R.Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea
Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia
Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia
Niger Nigeria Rwanda São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa
South Sudan Sudan Swaziland Togo Tunisia Uganda United Republic of Tanzania Zambia Zimbabwe


Asia and the Pacific: Mr. Appukuttan Nair Damodaran

Extractions of funding information from national reports
Extractions of funding information from national biodiversity strategies and action plans

Afghanistan Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Cambodia China DPR Korea
Fiji India Indonesia Iran Iraq Jordan Kazakhstan Kiribati
Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Republic Lebanon Malaysia Maldives Marshall Islands Micronesia Mongolia
Myanmar Nauru Nepal Oman Pakistan Palau Papua New Guinea Philippines Qatar
Samoa Solomon Islands Sri Lanka State of Palestine Syrian Arab Republic Tajikistan Thailand Timor-Leste
Tonga Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vietnam Yemen


Latin America and the Caribbean: Mr. Carlos Manuel Rodriguez

Extractions of funding information from national reports
Extractions of funding information from national biodiversity strategies and action plans

Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Bahamas Barbados Belize Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba
Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico
Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago Uruguay Venezuela


Eastern Europe: Mr. Günter Mitlacher

Extractions of funding information from national reports
Extractions of funding information from national biodiversity strategies and action plans

Albania Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Bosnia and Herzegovina Georgia
Montenegro Republic of Moldova Russian Federation Serbia TFYR Macedonia Ukraine


Global and regional submissions

Latin American Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities
ICCA Consortium

Team of five experts
Parties and relevant organizations were invited, through notification 2015-008, to nominate an expert to prepare the report on the full assessment of funding necessary and available for the implementation of the Convention for the period July 2018 to June 2022. Based on the nominations received, five experts were selected taking into account their relevant expertise as well as regional and gender balance. The selection of experts is based on the requirements of the annex to decision XII/30.

Mr. Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Echandi Mr. Carlos Manuel Rodriguez is nominated by the Government of Costa Rica. He is Vice President of Conservation Policy at Conservation International (CI). Mr. Rodriquez is former Minister of Environment and Energy of the Republic of Costa Rica, and Chair of the CBD's High-level Panel on the Global Assessment of Resources for Implementing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. Mr. Rodriguez is also the founder and Board member of several environmental NGOs in Costa Rica and tropical research institutes.

Mr. Appukuttan Nair Damodaran Mr. Appukuttan Nair Damodaran is nominated by the Government of India. He is a professor of economics and social sciences at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, India, and has worked on financial issues for a wide range of environmental subjects with a number of international and national organizations, including the Biodiversity Financing Strategy for India, a project funded by the National Biodiversity Authority of India (2011-2012). Mr. Damodaran was a member of the CBD's High Level Panel for Global Assessment of Resources for the Convention on Biological Diversity, and a member of the team of five experts to assess financial requirements for the GEF-6 replenishment period.

Ms. Maria Schultz Ms. Maria Schultz is nominated by the Government of Sweden. She is Programme Director of SwedBio at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, a knowledge interface between practice, policy and science. She has held various positions with the Swedish Ministry of Environment as CBD focal point, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), NGOs, universities and indigenous peoples organizations in the Amazon region. Ms. Schultz was a member of the High-Level Panel on Global Assessment of Resources for Implementing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, and one of the five experts undertaking a GEF-6 GEF funding needs assessment for the CBD. She organized international multi-actor dialogues such as the Quito dialogues.

Mr. Yasushi Hibi Mr. Yasushi Hibi is nominated by the Government of Japan. He is the Vice President of Conservation International and Managing Director of Conservation International Japan. Mr. Hibi has been a member of several advisory committees to the Japanese Ministry of Environment, including the Committee on Resource Mobilization for Biodiversity and the Committee on Promoting Biodiversity in Society/Economy. He also served as the Environment Programme Officer at the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Development Programme. Mr. Hibi has been involved in the Steering Committee of International Partnership for the SATOYAMA Initiative (IPSI), the Advisory Committee for Social and Environmental Considerations of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Specialists Group for Development of MRV Guidelines for REDD+ Projects with Biodiversity Considerations. Mr. Hibi is also an Advisor to the Biodiversity Working Group of Keidanren Nature Conservation Committee.

Mr. Günter Mitlacher Mr. Günter Mitlacher is nominated by the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Network of the Global Environment Facility (known as the GEF-CSO Network) as an expert representing international NGOs. He is the WWF Focal Point for the CBD in Germany and the Global Focal Point for the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Mr. Mitlacher was one of the NGO representatives who participated in the GEF-5 and the GEF-6 replenishment processes on behalf of the GEF-CSO Network. Mr. Mitlacher was also a member of the CBD's team of experts who prepared the full assessment of the amount of funds needed for the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity for GEF-6.

Questions and Answers regarding the questionnaire
Q1. Why should my country, as a recipient of GEF funding, respond to the questionnaire regarding GEF-7 funding needs assessment?
A1: In accordance with the Terms of Reference (https://www.cbd.int/financial/gef7needs.shtml), the Team of five Experts (https://www.cbd.int/financial/gef7experts.shtml) has adopted the approaches to assessing the funding necessary and available for the implementation of the Convention and its Protocols should be transparent, reliable and replicable. The questionnaire will be the main tool to assess the funding needs for GEF-7 expressed by GEF recipient countries.

The assessment will use the GEF-6 STAR Country Allocations for the Biodiversity Focal Area as the baseline, and look into the justifications for funding needs of each country during the GEF-7 period July 2018 to June 2022.

If a recipient country does not provide information regarding its funding needs, the Team of Experts will have to assume that no change of GEF funding is required from the country for the GEF-7 period.

Q2. How have other recipient countries responded to the questionnaire? Is there any early experience of responding to the questionnaire?
A2: A growing number of recipient countries have already submitted their responses to the questionnaire, and those submissions have been posted at the website: https://www.cbd.int/financial/survey2016.shtml for transparency and screening by the Expert Team. When clarification is needed, the Expert Team will contact the country Focal Point for better understanding or completion of the questionnaire.

The questionnaire was designed in the way that follows GEF project proposal ideas, with which GEF Operational Focal Points of recipient countries have been familiar. The Expert Team developed a guidance to the completion of the questionnaire which CBD Focal Points should carefully consider and follow to achieve reliability of the information provided: https://www.cbd.int/financial/gef/cbd-gef-7-funds-needs-questionnaire-guide-en.pdf.

There are, however, a few lessons that can be learned so far:

(1) There should be consistency between estimated total project costs, co-financing options from national and other sources, and expected funding from GEF-7. Please note that the expected funding from the GEF should be based on INCREMENTAL COST REASONING (please note the information in the guidance document).

(2) All columns should be completed in full, and there should be no empty cells.

(3) When compiling project ideas for GEF-7 period 2018-2022, one should take into account the absorption capacity of the country and the delivery capacity of the GEF agencies that operate in the country. The tables about GEF 6 planned and approved projects should give an indication in that regard.

Q3. I found it very difficult to indicate domestic funding as the Ministry of Finance does not have concrete figures yet. In this case, how does my country complete the column regarding domestic funding?

A3: The information requested for the questionnaire is INDICATIVE in nature and will be used for the purpose of providing information to assist a decision of CBD COP 13. The indication of domestic funding does not imply firm commitments from your Ministry of Finance. GEF as the financial mechanism of the Convention was designed to meet the agreed full incremental costs in accordance with Article 21 of the Convention, and as the practice, the final commitments of all involved parties have been a result of iterative negotiations between the GEF and recipient countries.

Q4. Will my country's response to the questionnaire affect my country’s GEF-7 allocation?

A4: There is no causal link between responses to the questionnaire and GEF-7 allocations for individual countries. Your response to the questionnaire will support COP-13 in Mexico better understand the funding needs of your country, and communicate an appropriately informed assessment report to the Council of the GEF for consideration in the replenishment process for GEF-7.

Q5. My country has not made use of GEF-6 country allocations. Should my country respond to the questionnaire regarding GEF 7 funding needs?

A5: Yes, please respond, because the assessment of GEF-7 funding needs provides an opportunity for your country to express the expected funding needs in the GEF-7 period 2018-2022.

Q6. My country has not finalized the revision, or updated, national biodiversity strategy and action plan (NBSAP). Can my country still respond to the questionnaire?

A6: Yes, responding to the questionnaire should be considered as a financial needs assessment for the period 2018-2022, based on activities that may be included in the revision of your national biodiversity strategy and action plan (NBSAP).

Q7. The national biodiversity strategy and action plan of my country (NBSAP) only covers up to the year 2020. How can my country respond to the questionnaire for the period of time 2018-2022?

A7: National biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAP) basically cover the period of time up to the year 2020, coinciding with the global Strategic Plan 2011-2020. However, the time span of projects arising out of NBSAPs or other national priorities may go beyond the set 2020 planning period.

Q8. My country has been requested to make a submission under the financial reporting framework that also contains information regarding funding needs and gaps. What is the difference between the questionnaire and the financial reporting framework?

A8: The financial reporting framework requests broad information on funding needs and gaps, and the questionnaire only requires information regarding funding needs that are expected to be covered by GEF during the specific period of time 2018-2022. Responding to the questionnaire is strictly time bound, but information on funding needs for that specific period can be drawn from the financial reporting too.

Q9. How will my country's response be used in the GEF-7 funding needs assessment?
A9: All responses to the questionnaire from GEF recipient countries will be posted at: https://www.cbd.int/financial/survey2016.shtml for the purposes of transparency, easy access, broad consultation and mutual learning.

The Team of Experts will analyze and assess submissions from each country, and prepare a draft report for consideration at the first meeting of the Subsidiary Body of Implementation (SBI-1) in May 2016 and a final report for COP-13. Therefore, your responses are of utmost importance to inform an adequate decision of COP-13.

Q10. What support is there for the completion of the questionnaire?

A10: The Expert Team would like to encourage you to fill in the questionnaire in order to receive a broad information basis to assess the funding needs for the GEF-7 period. The Expert Team members will follow up to the second notification by the Executive Secretary (https://www.cbd.int/doc/notifications/2015/ntf-2015-124-gef-fund-en.pdf) and will remind you from time to time to provide your questionnaire if not done already. The Expert Team will screen the responses and communicate with you if additional information might be needed.

The Expert Team members who are providing support or answer additional questions include:

Mr. Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, nominated by the Government of Costa Rica, assisting countries from Latin America and the Caribbean, contact: cmrodriguez@conservation.org

Mr. Appukuttan Nair Damodaran, nominated by the Government of India, assisting countries from Asia and the Pacific, contact: damodaran@IIMB.ERNET.IN

Ms. Maria Schultz, nominated by the Government of Sweden, assisting countries from Africa, contact: maria.schultz@su.se

Mr. Yasushi Hibi, nominated by the Government of Japan, assisting countries from Africa, contact: cmrodriguez@conservation.org

Mr. Guenter Mitlacher, nominated by Non-Governmental Organizations’ Network of the Global Environment Facility (GEF-CSO Network), assisting countries from Eastern Europe, contact: guenter.mitlacher@wwf.de

Montreal, 18 November 2015

First meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation

Plenary presentation by the Expert Team to the first meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation on 3 May 2016

SBI-1 Interventions by European Union, Morocco, Mexico, Switzerland, Guatemala, China, Japan, Senegal, Philippines, Uruguay, Canada, Timor-Leste, Australia, Global Forest Coalition, Community Conservation Resilience Initiative and ICCA Consortium, International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

Meetings of the Team of Experts on GEF-7 funding needs

Date Venue Results
10 August 2015 Teleconference Finalize the questionnaire
30-31 October 2015 Montreal, Canada Stock taking and ways forward
7 May 2016 Montreal, Canada Follow-up to SBI-1 and next steps

Events on GEF-7 funding needs

Date Event Results
19 July 2015 Joint CBD-GEF Workshop on CBD implementation in Uganda Consultation on questionnaire design (Yibin Xiang)
7 September 2015 Joint CBD-GEF Workshop on CBD implementation in Jordan Outreach on the questionnaire (Yibin Xiang)
21 September 2015 Joint CBD-GEF Workshop on CBD implementation in Belarus Outreach on the questionnaire (Markus Lehmann)
19-22 October 2015 49th GEF Council and CSO consultation in Washington DC Outreach on the questionnaire (Guenter Mitlacher, Yibin Xiang)
2-4 November 2015 SBSTTA-19 in Montreal Consultation with Parties (Maria Schultz, A. Damodaran, Yasushi Hibi, Guenter Mitlacher)