GEF Approves $52.3M for UNDP to Spur $292M Co-Funding
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has just approved US$52.3 million for UNDP’s support to six projects covering Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America, including an initiative with global reach. These funds will unlock a further $292 million in co-financing and private sector engagement, to catalyze impact. The total funding approved for the GEF Trust Fund work programme during its 69th Council Meeting amounts to $195 million in grants and fees to eight GEF Agencies tackling challenges on biodiversity, climate change, land degradation, chemicals and waste and international waters.
Through the ‘Global Elimination of Mercury in Non-ferrous Metals Initiative (GEMINI),’ UNDP will collaborate with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to support six countries to eliminate mercury emissions from the non-ferrous metals industry reducing mercury emissions by 37.48 metric tonnes. UNDP will support the governments of India and Mexico to reduce an expected 24 metric tonnes of mercury pollution across both countries.
Marcos Neto, UN Assistant Secretary General and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support stated: “Building on trusted partnerships with governments and development partners on the ground, we are honored that countries continue to choose UNDP to support their efforts to advance climate, nature, and development goals through access to environmental finance mechanisms. Over decades, the GEF and UNDP partnership has demonstrated that long-term investments in the environment protect communities, drive stable economic development to support job creation, and help communities become more self-reliant, all while unlocking millions of dollars more in matching finance to support people and planet to thrive.”
In Indonesia, UNDP is supporting the government to implement two biodiversity projects. The ‘Spatial-based Natural Forest Planning and Governance for Robust Ecosystems (SPARE)’ initiative will strengthen spatial-based forest governance mechanisms, collectively resulting in 4,352 hectares of land and ecosystems under restoration and benefitting 10,000 people, with half of them women, directly, including through improved livelihood opportunities.
Also in Indonesia, the ‘Excelling Protected Area Management Effectiveness for Biodiversity Conservation through Landscape Based Approach (ENABLE)’ initiative will strengthen biodiversity conservation by moving beyond isolated conservation efforts toward inclusive, landscape-based approaches, that foster ecosystem resilience, sustainable resource use, and equitable benefit-sharing in surrounding landscapes and marine protected areas.
The initiative ‘Rural Electrification for Community Well-being’ in Burundi will promote energy access for rural communities by increasing viability and promoting scaled-up commercial investments in decentralized mini grids, focusing on derisking and cost-reduction. The project will directly benefit more than 6,500 households, supporting community infrastructure including schools and health centers, to reduce approximately 11,527 metric tonnes in total carbon dioxide equivalent in direct lifetime emissions.
“These projects will support countries around the world to tackle environmental challenges and foster sustainable development”, said Carlos Manuel RodrÃguez, GEF CEO and Chairperson. “They will help countries to eliminate mercury emissions that threaten human health and ecosystems, improve forest governance and restoration in Indonesia, expand access to clean and reliable energy in rural Burundi, and strengthen transparency on national reporting systems to meet international commitments and inform better local policy, investment, and planning decisions.”
The ‘Climate Transparency Global Support Programme III’ is a collaborative initiative with UNEP aiming to provide technical support to developing countries to enhance global knowledge and build capacities to improve climate reporting and develop transparency frameworks.
These recently approved initiatives bolster UNDP’s Climate Promise and Nature Pledge, addressing the environmental challenges related to climate change, biodiversity, energy, and chemicals and waste, while advancing development priorities.
https://www.undp.org/press-releases/gef-approves-523m-undp-projects-catalyze-292m-co-financing