The facility’s chief says donors have pledged another $500 million for its next four-year cycle, alongside a separate $60 million for biodiversity conservation projects.
Donors have pledged another US$500 million to the Global Environment Facility (GEF), bringing commitments for its next four-year funding cycle to US$4.4 billion, chief executive Diego Mesa Puyo said. He announced the increase at the COP17 conference on October 26, in remarks covered by Armenpress.
The facility gathers donor commitments in four-year cycles to finance the following four years. The new total builds on US$3.9 billion pledged in June at a GEF conference in Uzbekistan, Mesa Puyo said.
Armenia has begun preliminary domestic discussions about a possible contribution, Mesa Puyo said. Armenia has not announced an amount or made a donor commitment.
Mesa Puyo identified the following commitments as part of the additional US$500 million. The UK commitment was not included in the initial June pledges.
| Donor | Amount pledged | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK | £330 million | Around US$400 million, using the equivalent given by Mesa Puyo |
| Spain | €50 million | Pledged to the GEF’s main trust fund |
| Uzbekistan |
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| Around US$4.6 million |
| First contribution to the facility |
Mesa Puyo also announced a further US$60 million in pledges for the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, which supports biodiversity conservation projects. This amount is separate from the US$500 million added to the GEF’s next funding cycle.
Berlin is contributing to the biodiversity fund for the first time, he said. Quebec, a province of Canada, was the first contributor below national-government level and has announced its intention to contribute again. Iceland and Monaco are also new contributors.
Mesa Puyo said the facility’s funding matters both for direct investments and for attracting additional public and private money. He said fundraising would continue during the new cycle, with a further pledging event planned in Türkiye during a climate conference.
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