Global Environment Facility (GEF)

GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL FACILITY (GEF) is an independent financial organization that provides grants to developing countries for projects that benefit the global environment and promote sustainable livelihoods in local communities (mainly in six environmental areas: biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, and persistent organic pollutants). After the Rio Convention, GEF was established to finance sustainable development in developing countries with funds from developed nations.

GEF has 177 members (also known as the GEF Assembly), which includes developed and developing countries, as well as those countries with economies in transition. Each country has a GEF representative known as a Focal Point, a designated government official who coordinates matters related to GEF governance to ensure that projects meet a country's priorities. The GEF Assembly meets once every four years to review the policies and operations of GEF. The GEF chief executive officer and chairperson leads the GEF Secretariat, which coordinates the implementation all GEF projects and programs.

The GEF Council, representing 32 constituencies (14 from developed countries, 16 from developing countries, and two from countries with transitional economies), functions as an independent board of directors, with primary responsibility for developing, adopting, and evaluating GEF programs. The council meets twice each year for three days and also conducts business by mail. All decisions are by consensus and its open-door policy towards nongovernmental organizations and representatives of civil society makes GEF unique among international financial institutions.

The GEF Assembly, Council, and Secretariat approve of projects and policies, but the GEF does not implement projects. The United Nations Development Program, the UN Environmental Program, and the World Bank are some of the major agencies that are responsible for implementing and managing GEF programs. Other international organizations like the African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Inter-American Development Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and UN Industrial Development Organization have been added to the list of organizations executing GEF projects.