Increased Swedish support to Global Environmental Facility

An agreement to top up the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) with more than SEK 22 billion for the period 2006-2010 was reached at a meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, at the end of August.

A total of 32 donors including China, India and South Africa will contribute to the topping up of the Global Environmental Facility. Sweden is one of the few countries to increase its contribution to the Facility with a pledge of SEK 850 million.

The Global Environmental Facility was established in 1991 to finance investments in developing and former eastern bloc countries. The Facility, which currently has 176 member states, cooperates closely with organisations including the World Bank, UNDP and UNEP. Since it was set up, the Facility has distributed more than SEK 44 billion in grants and has acquired approximately SEK 145 billion more from other sources. At present the Facility supports 1 800 environmental projects in 140 countries.