NEWS – An amount of $736.4 million will be allocated towards environment protection at the Global Environment Facility (GEF) council meeting being convened in Washington, DC

GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY

Establishment

• Established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit of UNFCCC.
• Created to help tackle the planet’s most pressing environmental problems.

Mission and Scope

• A family of funds dedicated to confronting:
  • Biodiversity loss
  • Climate change
  • Pollution
  • Strains on land and ocean health

Financial Assistance

• Provides financial assistance for five major international environmental conventions:
  • Minamata Convention on Mercury
  • Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
  • United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD)
  • United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
  • United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Membership : Comprises 184 member countries, including India.

Governance

• The main governing body is the Governing Council.
  • Consists of 32 members appointed by constituencies of GEF member countries:
    • 14 from developed countries
    • 16 from developing countries
    • 2 from economies in transition

Secretariat – Based in Washington, D.C.

GEF Trust Fund

• Established to address the planet’s most pressing environmental problems.
• Funds are available to: Developing countries + Countries with economies in transition
• Aims to meet the objectives of international environmental conventions and agreements.