February 2017: The process for discussing the level and priorities for the replenishment of the trust fund for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) is underway.

Following the request of the 51st meeting of the GEF Council that the GEF Trustee, in cooperation with the GEF Secretariat, initiate discussions on the seventh replenishment of resources of the GEF Trust Fund (GEF-7), a meeting of the Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) convened from 7-9 February 2017. Participants at the February meeting discussed programming ideas, including clusters related to: land degradation, food security and food systems; energy for all, sustainable cities and climate change mitigation; and restoration, green financing, biodiversity and the circular economy.

The GEF serves as a financial mechanism for five multilateral environmental agreements: the CBD; the UNFCCC; the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants; the UNCCD; and the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

Through the GEF replenishment process, donor countries commit funding every four years. Since its creation in 1991, the GEF Trust Fund has been replenished by US$2.75 billion (GEF-1), US$3 billion (GEF-2), US$3.13 billion (GEF-3), US$3.13 billion (GEF-4) and US$4.34 billion (GEF-5). The most recent replenishment process concluded in April 2014, when the Trust Fund was replenished by US$4.43 billion from 31 donor countries (GEF-6).

The GEF serves as a financial mechanism for five multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs): the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs); the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD); and the Minamata Convention on Mercury. The GEF also funds activities in the areas of sustainable forest management (SFM), international waters and ozone layer depletion.

The first official meeting of the GEF-7 process will take place in Paris, France, from 28-30 March 2017. [GEF Press Release on TAG Meeting] [IISD RS Report on 51st Meeting of the GEF Council] [GEF-7 First Meeting Webpage]