16 April 2014: The negotiations on the sixth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund (GEF-6) concluded with pledges totaling US$4.43 billion over four years. The funding was pledged by 30 donor countries at the conclusion of negotiations that began in April 2013 and extended over four meetings. The funding will support projects in more than 140 countries on issues related to, inter alia, climate change, deforestation, land degradation, extinction of species, toxic chemicals and waste, and threats to oceans and freshwater resources. In GEF-6, the donors also agreed to support the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which was opened for signature in 2013.

GEF-6 will introduce an “Integrated Approaches Pilot,” which will seek to address environmental challenges “by focusing on some of the underlying drivers of environmental degradation through special focus on for example food security in Africa, sustainable city development and on taking deforestation out of global commodity supply chains.” GEF-6 will also devote an increased share of resources to lower-income recipient countries. Finally, the GEF is developing “GEF2020,” which is a strategy to enhance the GEF’s impact by increasing its focus on the underlying drivers of environmental degradation.

Additional areas of focus for the GEF will include engagement with the private sector, work on gender mainstreaming, collaboration with civil society organizations, and an increased focus on results and the leverage of other sources of funding through the encouragement of higher levels of co-financing. [GEF Press Release][GEF-6 Documents] [GEF CEO Statement]