Financial Mechanism and Resources

Policy, Strategy and Programme Priorities

Article 21, paragraph 2: "2. Pursuant to the objectives of this Convention, the Conference of the Parties shall at its first meeting determine the policy, strategy and programme priorities, as well as detailed criteria and guidelines for eligibility for access to and utilization of the financial resources including monitoring and evaluation on a regular basis of such utilization. The Conference of the Parties shall decide on the arrangements to give effect to paragraph 1 above after consultation with the institutional structure entrusted with the operation of the financial mechanism."

Guidance to the financial mechanism
Guidance to the financial mechanism, for a specific replenishment period, consists of a consolidated list of programme priorities that defines what to be financed, and an outcome oriented framework of programme priorities related to utilization of GEF resources for biodiversity.
The latest consolidated list of programme priorities is contained in Decision XIII/21. The fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties will adopt additional guidance and the fifteenth meeting will consider a further consolidation of decision elements related to the financial mechanism.
The latest four-year outcome-oriented framework of programme priorities related to utilization of GEF resources for biodiversity during its seventh replenishment period is contained in Decision XIII/21. The fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties will adopt a four-year outcome-oriented framework for the eighth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund.

In accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding, the GEF Council reports on its financed project activities to the ordinary meetings of the Conference of the Parties. The programme and project funding information is thus available from these reports.

GEF Reports

  • COP13: UNEP/CBD/COP/13/12/ADD1, 28 September 2016 (Report of the Council of the Global Environment Facility) --العربية ; English; Español; Français; Русский; 中文: As of July 1, 2016, $454.9 million (43%) of the total resources allocated to STAR biodiversity country allocations ($1.051 billion) have been programmed. Countries are investing most of their resources in improving biodiversity management in productive landscapes and seascapes with 57% of national allocations of biodiversity resources being directed to supporting activities outside the formal protected area estate. In sum, $901 million of GEF resources, 53% of which from the biodiversity focal area set aside and other funding streams within the GEF, have leveraged $4.8 billion of cofinancing; a ratio of 1:5. This has resulted in a grand total of $5.7 billion being invested towards the implementation of the Strategic Plan and achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets in the first two years of GEF-6.

  • COP12: UNEP/CBD/COP/12/14/ADD1, 16 July 2014 (Report of the Global Environment Facility) -- اللغة العربية; 中文; English; Français; Русский; Español; Annexes to the Report of the Council of the Global Environment Facility. Between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2014, the GEF approved 167 projects from the GEF Trust Fund that supported implementation of the CBD and the Cartagena and Nagoya Protocols through stand-alone biodiversity projects and multi-focal area projects. The total GEF resources provided to implement these projects was $483,223,296, or about 46% of the resources allocated to the biodiversity focal area during GEF-5 (inclusive of agency fees and PPGs). These resources leveraged an additional $ 1.7 billion in co-financing for the projects from partners including the GEF Agencies, bilateral agencies, recipient countries, private foundations, and the private sector for a total project cost of $ 2.2 billion (with Agency Fee, without: 2.1 billion) . This resulted in a cofinancing ratio of 1 (GEF): 3.5 (cofinancing with Agency Fee, without 1: 3.8).

  • COP 11: UNEP/CBD/COP/11/8, 17 September 2012 (Report of the Global Environment Facility) -- ar; en; es; fr; ru; zh

  • COP 10: UNEP/CBD/COP/10/6, 2 August 2010 (Report of the Global Environment Facility) -- ar; en; es; fr; ru; zh

  • COP 9: UNEP/CBD/COP/9/9, 2 May 2008 (Report of the Global Environment Facility) -- ar; en; es; fr; ru; zh

  • COP 8: UNEP/CBD/COP/8/10, 6 February 2006 (Report of the Global Environment Facility) -- en; es; fr; ar; ru; zh

  • COP 7: UNEP/CBD/COP/7/9, 17 December 2003 (Report of the Global Environment Facility) -- en; es; fr

  • COP 6: UNEP/CBD/COP/6/9, 12 February 2002 (Report of the Global Environment Facility) -- en; es; fr

  • COP 5: UNEP/CBD/COP/5/7, 14 December 1999 (Report of the Global Environment Facility) -- en; es; fr; zh

  • COP 4: UNEP/CBD/COP/4/15, 27 February 1998 (Report of the Global Environment Facility) -- en; es; fr

  • COP 3: UNEP/CBD/COP/3/5, 18 September 1996 (Report of the Global Environment Facility) -- en; es; fr; ar; ru

  • COP 2: UNEP/CBD/COP/2/8, 21 August 1995 (Report of the Global Environment Facility) -- en

The old searchable database provides an easy access to the GEF Council decisions that have an impact on its funding for biodiversity (Click to access the database)