- UN Biodiversity Conference in Yerevan receives boost with over $500 million in additional funding for action on nature.
- The Global Environment Facility's ninth replenishment is now close to $4.4 billion with new pledges announced by Spain and Uzbekistan.
- New contributions of more than $60 million to the GEF’s Global Biodiversity Framework Fund from Germany, Iceland, Monaco, the province of Québec, and the city of Berlin. Armenia confirmed intention to become a contributor.
- Two new multi-annual pledges support predictable financing. Berlin is the first city to pledge to the GBFF.
National and sub-national governments pledged $60 million to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) on finance day during the Convention on Biological Diversity's seventeenth Conference of the Parties (COP17) in Yerevan. The resources will provide new targeted support to countries and communities working to conserve, restore, and ensure the long-term health and sustainability of wild species and ecosystems.
Spain and Uzbekistan announced a contribution of EUR 50 million and $4.5 million, respectively, to the ninth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund (GEF-9). While the United Kingdom reaffirmed a contribution of £330 million, bringing the GEF-9 replenishment close to $4.4 billion in pledges.
Representatives of Armenia, which holds the COP17 presidency, joined Germany, Iceland, Monaco, the province of Québec, and the city of Berlin in announcing new contributions during a pledging session at COP17. The session also brought together representatives of developing countries receiving support from the fund, Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs), implementing agency partners, philanthropy, and the private sector.
See the GBFF donor governments’ joint statement for amounts pledged by country
"Today’s pledges send a powerful signal: our partnership is ready to move from ambition to action for nature,” said Diego Mesa Puyo, GEF CEO and Chairperson. “This vote of confidence in the GEF will enable us to integrate environmental action with development priorities, catalyze larger pools of capital and private investment, and deliver results faster and at scale.”
“The Global Biodiversity Framework Fund is an important vehicle for mobilizing resources and turning the ambitions of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework into action,” said Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). “These new pledges, including multiannual commitments and the fund's first contribution from a city, are encouraging signs of growing support for biodiversity finance. They show that taking action for nature is gaining momentum and that every contribution counts."
"COP17 is demonstrating what multilateral cooperation can achieve. I welcome the financial pledges made by governments to the GEF in support of the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. As the COP17 presidency, we have initiated preliminary internal discussions on a possible contribution to join these efforts with the view of transforming commitments towards practical implementation," said Hambardzum Matevosyan, Minister of Environment of the Republic of Armenia and President of COP17.
From its launch in August 2023, the GBFF has received $446 million in commitments from 14 sovereign and two subnational governments. Within a three-year period, a total of $362.1 million has been programmed to 82 projects across 87 countries, including 47 Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
The GBFF supports countries to strengthen national-level biodiversity management, policy, governance, and resource mobilization, including blended finance to leverage private sector financing. It has surpassed three targets with the programming of 32 percent of its resources to support actions by IPLCs, 39 percent to support SIDS and LDCs, and 30 percent through international financial institutions (IFIs).
The fund was established at the request of parties to the CBD and is designed to accelerate delivery of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It has streamlined procedures and expanded governance arrangements to provide efficient support for developing countries and can receive contributions from all sources, including public, private, and philanthropic sources.
New pledges to GEF-9
The United Kingdom’s £330 million pledge, alongside Spain's contribution of €50 million and Uzbekistan’s $4.5 million to GEF-9, raise total commitments close to $4.4 billion for the July 2026 - June 2030 period. Seventy percent of these resources will contribute to CBD objectives. Across its family of funds, the GEF approved $4.64 billion of funding for 649 projects supporting the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in 144 countries in the GEF-8 period (July 2022 - June 2026).
ADDITIONAL QUOTES
"The GBFF plays a vital role in accelerating the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Characterized by streamlined procedures, low administrative costs, and ambitious portfolio targets tailored to the most vulnerable nations, the fund also ensures the robust participation of the scientific community and Indigenous Peoples. Merely a few years after its inception, the evidence is clear: the GBFF is fully operational and delivering results. To further accelerate the implementation of our global goals, Germany will contribute another EUR 50 million to the fund before the end of 2026. Germany reaffirms its stance as a reliable partner in multilateral cooperation dedicated to nature conservation. Furthermore, Germany calls upon all nations in a position to do so, alongside the private sector, non-profit organizations, and other institutions, to join these vital efforts.” - Carsten Schneider, Germany’s Federal Minister for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety
"Iceland believes in burden sharing, and the GBFF plays an important role by providing support to help developing countries achieve the KMGBF goals and targets nationally." - Freydís Vigfúsdóttir, Head of Division, Department of Nature and Cultural Heritage, Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Climate, and Head of Delegation to CBD COP17, Iceland
"Through this financial contribution, Monaco intends to play its full part in the international effort. This commitment reflects our determination to provide sustainable support to the most vulnerable countries, giving them the means to protect their ecosystems, on which their populations' resources and living conditions depend. The commitments we have made together must be translated into concrete and sustainable action on the ground.” - Céline Caron-Dagioni, Minister of Public Works, the Environment and Urban Development, Monaco
"Cities already invest in nature every day, at home and, through the Berlin Urban Nature Pact, together with cities around the world. By contributing to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, Berlin gives a second time: to biodiversity worldwide. Our contribution is modest, but every contribution counts. We invite cities and regions everywhere to join Berlin." - Sandra Naumann, Chief Biodiversity Officer, Berlin Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and Environment
"It is a pleasure to take part in this session and to highlight the key role of the Global Environment Facility as a mechanism for achieving our biodiversity conservation and restoration goals. In this context, Spain is pleased to announce a new contribution of EUR 50 million to the ninth replenishment of the GEF (GEF-9), a 60 percent increase over its GEF-8 contribution. With this pledge, Spain reaffirms its strong commitment to the Global Biodiversity Framework and to multilateral action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss." - Maria J. Rodriguez de Sancho, General Director for Biodiversity, Forest and Desertification, Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Spain
“Uzbekistan is proud to become a GEF donor country. Building on our longstanding partnership, we look forward to helping protect nature and create opportunities for people. Together, we can turn shared ambition into lasting results for a healthier, more resilient planet.” - Aziz Abdukhakimov, Advisor to the President on Environmental Issues and Chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, Uzbekistan
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 COP15 to support implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Launched at the Seventh GEF Assembly in 2023, the GBFF can receive contributions from public, private, and philanthropic sources. 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.
Media Contacts
- David Ainsworth (in Yerevan for COP17), Senior External Relations Officer - dainsworth@thegef.org
- Alexandre Pinheiro Rego, Senior External Relations Officer - arego@thegef.org
