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Today in Pyeongchang, Korea the GEF addressed the plenary of the UNCBD COP12 to report on its activities in the area of biological diversity . Mark Zimsky, head of GEF delegation and Biodiversity cluster leader presented the report that focused on programming efficiency, programming trends, portfolio performance, and resource mobilization beyond the biodiversity focal area. It also highlighted future programming opportunities in GEF-6, the sixth replenishment period of the GEF that started July 1, 2014.
Programming efficiency – 98% of available resources programmed.
The GEF partnership—GEF eligible parties and their respective government agencies, GEF agencies, CSOs, STAP, the GEF Council, and the GEF Secretariat—all contributed to an efficient programming rate of 98% of the available resources for the biodiversity focal area-$1.06 billion of the $1.08 billion dollars available over the last 4 years.
Programming trends – shifting from mainly protected areas to biodiversity mainstreaming
Historically, countries have prioritized using GEF resources to establish, finance, and manage protected areas over the course of any GEF phase, at times reaching as high as 60% of all biodiversity resources programmed. During GEF-5 countries shifted programming priorities with 49% of resources supporting protected area management and 41% being invested in biodiversity mainstreaming. In addition there was an increase in capacity building requests for “access and benefit sharing” (ABS) and the development of ABS agreements.
Portfolio performance – 91% of projects achieving global environment objectives
Of the 198 biodiversity projects that are currently under implementation, 91% are achieving their global environment objectives thereby considerably exceeding GEF’s corporate goal of 75%.
Resource mobilization beyond the biodiversity focal area
Total GEF investment in supporting implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, 2011-2020, totaled $1.2 billion during the past two years, of which only 41%, or $483 million, came from the biodiversity focal area with the remaining 59% of resources, or $717 million coming from other GEF programming areas. The GEF resources leveraged an additional $5.2 billion in cofinancing, resulting in a grand total of $6.4 billion being programmed towards achievement of the Strategic Plan on Biodiversity and the 20 Aichi Targets in the last two years alone.
Future opportunities
Earlier this year 31 countries pledged a total of $4.433 billion towards programming in GEF-6; the largest replenishment in the GEF’s history. Out of it $1.296 billion was allocated to the biodiversity focal area making biodiversity the largest focal area within the GEF.
Consistent with the Strategic Plan, the goal of the GEF-6 biodiversity strategy is to maintain globally significant biodiversity and the ecosystem goods and services that it provides to society. The strategy is comprised of 10 programs that directly contribute to implementing the Strategic Plan and achieving the Aichi Targets through a continuum of measures that address the most critical drivers of biodiversity loss across entire landscapes and seascapes. The programs include direct conservation/protection, threat-reduction, sustainable use, and biodiversity mainstreaming approaches. In addition, for the first time, the strategy addresses the most critical underlying driver of biodiversity loss: the failure to account for and price the full economic value of ecosystems and biodiversity.
Two of the GEF-6 integrated approach pilots, Taking Deforestation out of Commodity Supply Chains and Fostering Sustainability and Resilience for Food Security in Africa, will also make contributions to achieving the Aichi Targets, as will other GEF focal areas, particularly International Waters in the area of sustainable fisheries, Land Degradation in the areas of sustainable agriculture, and GEF’s sustainable forest management program which also includes support for forest restoration.
MEDIA CONTACT
Christian Hofer (GEF)
Tel : 1 202 413 4185
chofer@thegef.org