26 June 2009: The Council of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), which met from 22-24 June 2009, in Washington DC, US, evaluated a reform to the GEF’s Resource Allocation Framework (RAF) to enhance transparency and outcome-oriented lending.

A new System for Transparent Allocation of Resources (STAR) is being developed, which will cover the biodiversity and climate change focal areas with improved and simplified indices. Based on Document GEF/C.35/4.Rev.1., the GEF Council has requested the Secretariat to prepare an option with a composite allocation per country that, inter alia: does not include international waters, which would remain outside the scope of the STAR; includes biodiversity, climate change mitigation, land degradation, and chemicals; and provides flexibility in programming among the different GEF focal areas for countries with allocations below a certain threshold, particularly least developed countries and small island developing States. [GEF Council Documents]