Global Environment Facility
Guidance by the COP to the Global Environment Facility

Decision 17/CP.27
Decision 7/CP.26
Decision 13/CP.25
Decision 5/CP.24
Decision 10/CP.23

Decisions prior to COP 23 can be found in the Decisions section of the UNFCCC website. 

GEF annual reports to COP

2022 annual report of the GEF to the COP (Advance Version)
FCCC/CP/2021/9
FCCC/CP/2021/9/Add.1
FCCC/CP/2020/1
FCCC/CP/2020/1.Add.1
FCCC/CP/2019/5
FCCC/CP/2019/5/Add.1
FCCC/CP/2018/6
FCCC/CP/2018/6/Add.1

Annual reports of the GEF prior to 2018 can be found in the Documents section of the UNFCCC website. 

Relevant GEF documents/links

GEF Council
GEF replenishment
Summary of the GEF-8 replenishment negotiations
Seventh Comprehensive Evaluation of the GEF (OPS 7)
Long-term vision on complementarity, coherence and collaboration between the GEF and the GCF
GEF 2020 strategy
Updated Handbook for Conducting Technology Needs Assessments for Climate Change

Background

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) serves as an operating entity of the Financial Mechanism under the Convention. The relationship between the Conference of Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC and the GEF Council was agreed in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) contained in decision 12/CP.2 and decision 12/CP.3. As outlined in the MOU and pursuant to Article 11.1 of the Convention, the COP provides guidance to the GEF, as an entity entrusted with the Financial Mechanism of the Convention, on policies, programme priorities and eligibility criteria for funding. 

Furthermore, the GEF, as well as the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) administered by the GEF, serve the Paris Agreement, in accordance with Article 9, paragraph 8, of the Paris Agreement and decision 3/CMA.1 paragraph 7. Guidance to the GEF on the policies, programme priorities and eligibility criteria related to the Paris Agreement is provided by the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA) and is transmitted by the COP. The COP decided that the guidance to the entities entrusted with the operations of the Financial Mechanism of the Convention in relevant decisions of the COP, including those agreed before adoption of the Paris Agreement, shall apply mutatis mutandis.

Article 9, paragraph 9, of the Paris Agreement states that the institutions serving this Agreement, including the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism of the Convention, shall aim to ensure efficient access to financial resources through simplified approval procedures and enhanced readiness support for developing country Parties, in particular for the least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS), in the context of their national climate strategies and plans.

Recent Developments

An advance version of the 2023 report of the GEF to the COP, is now available for download. Please click here to download the report. 

Click here to view a compilation of decisions relevant to the GEF that emanated from the UN Climate Change Conference held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Nov 2023 – Dec 2024). 

Last updated on 2 February 2024

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