Global Environment Facility (GEF)

The GEF is an independently operating financial organisation that provides grants for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), mercury, sustainable forest management, food security, sustainable cities.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems. Since then, the GEF has provided close to $20.5 billion in grants and mobilized an additional $112 billion in co-financing for more than 4,800 projects in 170 countries. Through its Small Grants Programme, the GEF has provided support to nearly 24,000 civil society and community initiatives in 133 countries.

The GEF Partnership recently agreed to a new direction in its work to achieve greater results and help to meet rising challenges. This agreement is set out in the Summary of the Negotiations of the Seventh Replenishment of the GEF. In combination with its traditional investments under the Conventions, the GEF is:

  1. Strategically focusing its investments to catalyze transformational change in key systems that are driving major environmental loss, in particular energy, cities and food;
  2. Prioritizing integrated projects and programs that address more than one global environmental problem at a time, building on the GEF’s unique position and mandate to act on a wide range of global environmental issues; and
  3. Implementing new strategies and policies to enhance results, including stronger engagement with the private sector, indigenous peoples, and civil society, and an increased focus on gender equality.

Latest news and articles

Meet the Catalytic Grant Winners from the COP27 Resilience Hub

Four teams will be awarded with a $5000 USD grant. The award is a joint effort from Climate Justice Resilience Fund (CJRF), Global Resilience Partnership (GRP), and International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD).

Trees of hope: How Kurna people planted trees to adapt to the climate crisis

The members of the Kurna Community are addressing climate change impacts by using nature-based solutions such as afforestation. This is the twelfth of the ‘Voices from the Frontline (Phase-II)’ stories by ICCCAD and GRP.

Challenging established practices in the coffee industry

Coffee is one of the world’s most traded commodities, but many smallholder farmers struggle to access profitable markets. In Uganda, Mountain Harvest is working together with farmers to change this.

Promoting Indigenous Knowledge to strengthen community led adaptation 

Smallholder farmers in the Umzingwane district from the southern part of Zimbabwe are taking up locally-led initiatives and indigenous knowledge to adapt to unpredictable climate patterns. This is the eleventh of the ‘Voices from the Frontline (Phase-II)’ stories by ICCCAD and GRP.

From debt cycle to self-resilience: A Story from the small village of Datinakhali

In Datinakhali, Bangladesh, a cooperative savings fund is helping local women diversify their livelihoods to adapt to climate change. This is the tenth of the ‘Voices from the Frontline (Phase-II)’ stories by ICCCAD and GRP.