Global Environment Facility

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Thematic Focus
• Strategy
• Achievements

Overview

Based in Washington, D.C., the Global Environment Facility (GEF) grew from a pilot program of the World Bank to become the single largest source of funding for the global environment. Since 1994, its mandate has been to focus on achieving global environmental benefits. The GEF also helps to address the development goals of poor countries by responding to environmental priorities in six areas:

• Climate change
• Biodiversity
• Land degradation
• Chemicals management
• International waters
• Forestry

Canada, through CIDA, has been a strong supporter of the GEF since its creation and is the sixth largest donor. Canada's contribution to the GEF fulfills its obligations to help developing countries implement key global environmental agreements.

The GEF is an umbrella organization that builds on the comparative advantages of 10 existing agencies:

• United Nations Development Programme
• United Nations Environment Programme
• World Bank
• African Development Bank
• Asian Development Bank
• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
• Inter-American Development Bank
• International Fund for Agricultural Development
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization

Canada has played an instrumental role in the GEF Council as an honest broker, seeking compromise between the positions taken by other council members and promoting the adoption of fiduciary standards for GEF agencies. CIDA represents the Government of Canada on the GEF Council.

One of the GEF's major strengths is its ability to support activities in recipient countries that, within the context of their sustainable development needs, can help meet their commitments to more than one global environment convention. These include:

• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
• United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
• Convention on Biological Diversity
• Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

Thematic Focus

Although the mandate of the GEF is to focus on global environmental benefits rather than directly on development results or poverty reduction, GEF-funded projects and programs align closely with CIDA's three priority themes: increasing food security, stimulating sustainable economic growth, and securing the future of children and youth.

Food security

The GEF's focus on water management, biodiversity conservation, land degradation, and deforestation prevention contribute to increasing food security.

Economic growth

The GEF's investments in developing energy-efficient technologies reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote green investments, and increase local economic development opportunities.

Children and youth

The GEF's focus on a healthy environment containing fewer persistent organic pollutants and ozone-depleting substances is critical for the well-being of citizen and especially in securing the future of children and youth.

CIDA's Strategy for Working with the GEF

CIDA's work with the GEF focuses on two strategic objectives:

1. Implementing key program and institutional reforms as outlined in the GEF replenishments.
2. Strengthening the development impacts of GEF initiatives. This includes addressing critical gender and social issues and increased support for the GEF Small Grants Programme, which responds to the needs of countries and civil society organizations, in particular projects that engage indigenous communities and women.

Achievements

In 2009, with the support of CIDA and other donors, the GEF:

• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 800 million metric tons
• Supported over 150 market transformations toward a low carbon intensive path
• Invested in 898 protected areas covering 336 million hectares
• Mainstreamed biodiversity conservation in 58 million hectares of production landscapes and seascapes
• Helped to bring more than 20 million hectares of land under sustainable land management through targeted interventions in affected agro-ecosystems, watersheds and forest landscapes
• Assisted 18 countries with national level projects targeting the removal of barriers to sustainable land and forest management
• Supported 12 countries in the development of national implementation plans to meet their obligations under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
• Supported 75 countries in strengthening their capacity to manage persistent organic pollutants
• Supported 38 countries in reducing persistent organic pollutants
• Assisted 20 small island developing states in adopting water reforms that focus on an ecosystem-based management approach
• Supported 18 countries with national level projects targeting the removal of barriers to sustainable land and forest management