GEF

The GEF is a family of funds dedicated to the environment and serves as a financial mechanism for six multilateral conventions. With GEF support, countries tackle the root causes of environmental challenges while working to meet international environmental goals. The conventions it serves are the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction. The GEF Trust Fund is replenished every four years, in a process that brings together donor and recipient countries. Uniquely, some recipients are also GEF donors. Funding is provided mainly as grants, while the GEF non-grant instrument works to unlock private sector investment in the environment by reducing risk and through blended finance.