The GEF Secretariat has informed parties of the CBD and the Cartagena Protocol of the availability of expanded funding for enabling activities, including expedited disbursement of funds for preparing and submitting national reports.
4 April 2011: The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has informed parties to the CBD and to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety that the GEF is making available expanded and expedited access to funding for enabling activities, including national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs), and national reports under the CBD and the Biosafety Protocol.
According to the GEF communication, GEF will assist GEF-eligible parties in meeting their reporting obligations under the CBD and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). GEF emphasizes that reporting under the CBD and the Biosafety Protocol and NBSAPs remain a top priority, for which GEF has reserved US$500,000 per country and per focal area outside the System for Transparent Allocation of Resources (STAR).
The communication indicates three ways to access funds: direct access with the GEF Secretariat; through a GEF Agency; or through the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Umbrella Programme for biodiversity national reports, which is being developed and will be directed specifically at Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS).
The Communication further states that, given the deadline for the Second National Report in Biosafety on 30 September 2011, the GEF Secretariat has been working with UNEP and the CBD Secretariat to finalize three umbrella Medium Size Projects (MSPs) that will expedite the disbursement of small grants for report preparation and submission. [CBD Notification (NBSAPs)] [CBD Notification (Biosafety)] [GEF Press Release]