At its 52nd meeting, held in Washington, DC, US, from 23-25 May 2017, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council adopted, among other decisions: the budget for fiscal year 2018; the Work Program; and the Policy on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Council Members, Alternates and Advisers.
The Council meeting was preceded by a GEF Council Consultation with civil society organizations (CSOs), which took place on 22 May 2017.
The Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF)/Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) Council convened for its 22nd meeting on 25 May 2017 and, among others, approved the budget for fiscal year 2018.
25 May 2017: At its 52nd meeting, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council adopted, inter alia: the budget for fiscal year 2018 of US$35.157 million; US$20,790 administrative budget for the Nagoya Protocol Implementation Fund (NPIF); and US$930,270 budget for the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) established under the Paris Agreement.
The GEF Council meeting took place in Washington, DC, US, from 23-25 May 2017. The budget approved for fiscal year 2018 of US$35.157 million includes the GEF Secretariat, the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP), Trustee (the World Bank) and the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO).
The total resources approved by the GEF Council for the Work Program amount to US$246.8 million.
The Council also approved the Work Program for the GEF Trust Fund comprising 30 project concepts and one programmatic framework. The Work Program includes: a regional programmatic approach involving an Environmental Health and Pollution Management Program in Africa; 13 global, regional and country-level Multi-Focal Area (MFA) projects; three projects on biodiversity; five climate change-related projects; four on international waters; two on land degradation; and three on chemicals and waste. The total resources approved for the Work Program amount to US$246.8 million.
Further, the Council approved the Policy on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Council Members, Alternates and Advisers, and the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Ethics Committee, and elected members to serve on the Committee. The Policy, which seeks to ensure that conflicts of interest are identified and managed in a way that ensures accountability, as well as broad public trust and confidence in the decision making and operations of the Council, includes provisions on, inter alia: conflicts of interest; transparency and disclosure; procedure when a conflict of interest arises; and employment by the Secretariat.
The 52nd meeting of the GEF Council was preceded by a GEF Council Consultation with civil society organizations (CSOs), which took place on 22 May 2017. The CSO consultation included: a dialogue with Naoko Ishii, GEF Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairperson; and discussions about the road towards the seventh replenishment of the GEF Trust Fund (GEF-7) and on how to enhance the relationship between the GEF and civil society.
The Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF)/Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) Council convened for its 22nd meeting on 25 May 2017 and, among others, approved the budget for fiscal year 2018, including: US$1,044,509 for the GEF Secretariat; US$128,000 for STAP; and US$301,000 for Trustee, from the LDCF. The LDCF/SCCF Council also approved an annual budget of US$73,000 for the IEO for fiscal year 2018 for the proposed Work Program, with US$34,000 from the LDCF and US$39,000 from the SCCF.
The GEF serves as a financial mechanism for a number of multilateral environmental agreement (MEAs), including the UNFCCC, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Stockholm Convention on 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, international waters and ozone layer depletion. The GEF administers the LDCF and SCCF, which were established by the UNFCCC, and the Nagoya Protocol Implementation Fund, which was established by the CBD. It also supports the operation of the CBIT. [IISD RS Meeting Coverage] [GEF Documents Webpage for GEF 52nd Council Meeting] [Annotated Provisional Agenda for GEF 52nd Council Meeting] [GEF Documents Webpage for LDCF/SCCF 22nd Council Meeting] [Annotated Provisional Agenda for LDCF/SCCF 22nd Council Meeting] [GEF-CSO Consultation Agenda] [Joint Summary of the Chairs] [GEF Press Release, 23 May 2017] [GEF Press Release, 25 May 2017] [Statement by the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity]