On 2 November 2011, acclaimed actor and conservationist Edward Norton paid a courtesy visit to the GEF, where he met Monique Barbut, GEF CEO and Chairperson, and staff of the GEF Secretariat.
This was Norton's first official visit to the GEF since UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon designated him the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity in July 2010.
The GEF serves as the financial mechanism to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and has invested more than $2.8 billion in projects that aim to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and promote equitable sharing of its benefits in more than 155 developing countries and countries with economies in transition.
Following the adoption of a ten year Strategic Plan for Biodiversity at the UN conference on biodiversity held last year in Nagoya, Japan, the UN General Assembly designated 2011 to 2020 as the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity. Mr. Norton has long been involved in sustainable development issues and active in raising awareness on biodiversity. His work with the CBD and GEF will support the UN's call for a renewed effort over the next decade to safeguard the variety of life and protect natural resources for the future.
For information about the UN Decade on Biodiversity, please visit http://www.cbd.int/2011-2020
