1. SGP country programme - summary background
1.1 The Global Environment Facility (GEF) was established in October 1991 for the purpose of providing support to the protection of global environment and to promote environmental sustainable development through provision of financial and technical support to eligible countries for implementing projects that benefit the global environment and country considered as eligible for the GEF supported project. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the World Bank (WB) were the three initial implementing organizations.

At the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, the GEF was restructured and become the financial mechanism for both the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The GEF subsequently was also selected to serve as financial mechanism for three more international conventions: The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (2001), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (2003) and the Minamata Convention on Mercury (2013). The GEF supports projects that are focusing on the areas of biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer and persistent organic pollutants.

These projects link local, national, and global environmental challenges while promoting sustainable livelihoods of local communities. By uniting 182 member countries, the GEF works closely with governments, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and with various international Agencies across 182 countries.

UNDP in Ethiopia