PHL biodiversity to get lion’s share in global environment cash pool

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga

THE protection and conservation of the country’s rich biodiversity will be getting the proverbial lion’s share under the 8th replenishment cycle of the Global Environment Facility (GEF 8), an official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said.

Al O. Orolfo, director of the DENR Foreign Assisted and Special Projects Services, said that with over $52-million in total allocations the Philippines is expected to “narrow the gap” for biodiversity spending. The allocation is one of the largest in Southeast Asia.

There are a dozen proposed projects for GEF 8 funding and five focal areas in which these projects are categorized. Seven of the proposed projects fall under “climate change,” three under “chemicals and wastes and land degradation” and two projects under “International Waters.”

The DENR said the FASPS will be working with the GEF Secretariat and various implementing multilateral financing agencies in overseeing the project’s implementation during the 4-year cycle covering the years 2023 to 2026.

In implementing the GEF-funded projects, the DENR hopes to advance the country’s efforts to address environmental issues. These efforts include: tackling the drivers of ecological degradation; strengthening the country’s commitments to multilateral environmental agreements and contributing to global environmental benefits; supporting integrated approaches; and, ensuring that programs are inclusive and prioritizes the most vulnerable.

Private capital

THE projects are also being eyed to help realign private sector capital to achieve wider scale and impact, empower local communities to harness their contributions, strengthen their capacities, protect their livelihoods, uplift their socio-economic conditions, and enhance resilience.

The GEF is the largest multilateral fund dedicated to addressing environmental threats. Established as a $1-billion pilot program of the World Bank during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the cash pool was created to fund environmental actions by developing countries.

The GEF funding window now serves as a financial mechanism for the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

Now on its eighth replenishment cycle, the GEF grants have reached a