The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) established its Financial Mechanism to facilitate the provision and transfer of resources from developed to developing countries. The Global Environment Facility became the first operating entity of the Financial Mechanism after the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC, and the GEF Council agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 1996. This agreement placed the GEF under the guidance of the COP, as Article 11 of the Convention states that the Financial Mechanism “shall function under the guidance of and be accountable to the Conference of the Parties, which shall decide on its policies, program priorities and eligibility criteria related to this Convention.”
The yearly COPs have provided an opportunity for Parties to update and renew their guidance to the GEF. To date, there have been 145 UNFCCC COP decisions and 526 paragraphs that offer guidance to the GEF (see Table 1). In addition, the Conferences of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA) have issued 40 decisions and 115 paragraphs as guidance to the GEF (see Table 2). Key areas of Convention guidance have included: the GEF’s role as an operating entity of the Financial Mechanism, including the Paris Agreement; the GEF’s institutional and procedural reform; transparency and access to GEF funds; country engagement and empowerment; reporting on greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories; support for technology transfer; and ongoing programming in mitigation and adaptation.
At COP 21, held in 2015, Parties provided guidance to the GEF, giving it an important role in implementing key aspects of the Paris Agreement. The COP agreed that the Financial Mechanism of the Convention, including its operating entities, shall serve as the financial mechanism of the Paris Agreement. Parties decided to establish the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT), requesting the GEF to make arrangements to support its establishment and operation. Most recently, additional guidance to the GEF emerged from COP 28, and is included in the first chapter of this booklet and in the GEF Report to COP 29.
The GEF continually incorporates COP guidance into its programs and operations, as described annually in its report to the COP. As a complementary publication to the GEF’s annual report, this booklet summarizes all guidance to the GEF dating from the first COP to COP 28 and the corresponding GEF responses. This publication provides full documentation of the evolution of GEF activities and policies as informed by guidance from the COP.
The COP guidance and GEF responses contained in this booklet are presented in reverse chronological order, starting with COP 28 and ending with COP 1. The first chapter is updated annually to reflect the most recent COP guidance. Sections corresponding to earlier COPs remain as published in prior years. Therefore, some responses within may appear outdated. Nevertheless, such information is helpful in following historical trends and in highlighting cumulative action. The booklet also contains annexes including the MOU between the COP and the GEF Council, guidelines for the review of the Financial Mechanism, and GEF project terms.