The text of the following statement was released by Armenia, city of Berlin, Germany, Iceland, Monaco, and the province of Québec.
Today in Yerevan, Armenia, we are pleased to announce pledges totaling approximately USD 60.22 million [1] from five contributors – of which there are three new contributors, including a first contribution from a city government, and two existing contributors who are reaffirming their financial commitment to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) hosted by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). These contributions to the GBFF support our collective action to help scale financing for the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
The GBFF was established at the request of the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15) and was launched at the Seventh GEF Assembly in August 2023. It has streamlined procedures to provide efficient support for developing countries, an expanded governance structure, and can receive contributions from all sources, including public, private, and philanthropic sources.
We applaud that within only three years the GBFF has helped scale up financing for biodiversity action by programming more than USD 362 million across 87 countries. The Fund brings together a country-driven approach with impact, innovation, and efficiency. Through five competitive calls for proposals, the GBFF has met or exceeded all portfolio-level targets. Against an aspirational target of 20 percent, the GBFF has programmed 32 percent of resources for actions by Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs). In support of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the GBFF has programmed 39 percent of resources. Additionally, 30 percent of the portfolio is programmed through international financial institutions (IFIs). The GBFF has been positively evaluated by the Independent Evaluation Office.
We welcome the announcement that the city of Berlin will be joining the GBFF Advisory Group of Non-Sovereign Participants as a contributing member, alongside the Province of Québec.
We join forces today to make the following announcements to support developing countries advance in the KMGBF implementation and further expand GBFF’s impact:
- As the COP17 Presidency, Armenia welcomes these efforts and looks forward to supporting greater financial momentum to support implementation of the KMGBF.
- City of Berlin, a subnational government and a new contributor, is announcing a pledge of EUR 50,000 (equivalent to approximately USD 56,000) to the GBFF and will join the GBFF Advisory Group of Non-Sovereign Participants.
- Germany will contribute an additional EUR 50.0 million (equivalent to approximately USD 56.1 million) to the GBFF, in addition to its earlier contributions of EUR 40.0 million in 2023 and EUR 50.0 million in 2024 at COP16.
- Iceland, a new contributor, is making a multiannual pledge to the GBFF in the amount of ISK 160 million (equivalent to approximately USD 1.31 million).
- Monaco, a new contributor, is making a multiannual pledge to the GBFF in the amount of EUR 1.5 million (equivalent to approximately USD 1.68 million).
- Province of Québec, a subnational government, will contribute an additional CAD 1.5 million (equivalent to approximately USD 1.07 million), in addition to its contribution of CAD 2 million at COP16.
Together, we recognize support is essential to support developing countries make swift progress towards the implementation of the KMGBF and its 2030 mission, underscoring the important role of the GBFF as a key component of international biodiversity finance.
About the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund
The Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) was established by the GEF at the request of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP 15 to support implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Launched at the Seventh GEF Assembly in 2023, the GBFF can receive contributions from all sources, including public, private, and philanthropic. It has streamlined procedures to provide efficient and impactful support for developing countries, with an emphasis on SIDS and LDCs, programming through IFIs, and with a target of 20 percent of its funding to support actions by Indigenous Peoples and local communities. To date, it has programmed over $362 million to support 82 projects in 87 countries.
About the Global Environment Facility
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is the world’s family of funds for the environment. As the financial mechanism for six multilateral conventions, it supports countries’ efforts to tackle the root causes of environmental degradation — advancing global goals for nature, climate, and pollution. Over the past three decades, the GEF has been the largest public funder for the environment and provided more than $27 billion in financing, primarily as grants, and mobilized another $155 billion for country-driven priority projects.
[1] All conversions to USD are based on exchange rates as of October 26, 2026.
