The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a financial mechanism for international cooperation for the purpose of providing new and additional grant and concessional funding to meet the agreed incremental costs and measures to achieve agreed global environmental benefits in the areas of biological diversity, climate change, international waters and ozone layer depletion. Land degradation issues, primarily desertification and deforestation, as they relate to the focal areas, are also addressed.

Established in 1991, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) started as a three-year pilot programme aimed to assist the developing countries in the protection of the global environment. Upon successful completion of the pilot phase, GEF was replenished and is now in its operational phase-II.

Global Environment Facility Web Site