China has now become the country who got the biggest fund from the GEF (The Global Environment Facility) among all its membership countries. Up until March 2007, there are already 48 Chinese national environmental programs have received fund from GEF. In the same time, China has participated 26 international environmental program as a membership country of GEF. Right now, 34 environmental programs are ongoing with the cooperation of China. So what exactly is GEF? How does GEF work as a key international player for the challenge as the environmental issues? In this LJE, we will trace back to history, finding out how GEF contributed to Environment protection and what we may benefit and even work together with GEF.


A: History of GEF

GEF is short for The Global Environment Facility; it was founded in October 1991. Its major task and objective is for the protection of the global environment and to promote environmental sustainable development. GEF is also a partnership for global cooperation. In the framework of GEF, there are few active players: these are:
• 183 countries,
• international institutions
• Private sectors
• Civil society organizations

These above players work closely with each other, trying to do something significantly for environmental issues.When GEF was founded in 1991, a fund of $1 billion was engaged by World Bank in order to consider GEF as a pilot program for environmental protection in a global level. The GEF may offer new and extra funding to deal with the "incremental" or additional costs caused by transforming a project with national benefits into one with global environmental benefits. There are 3 initial partnerships for GEF projects, respectively are:
• The World Bank
• The United Nations Environment Program
• The United Nations Development Program

1994 can be considered a year important for the GEF, it firstly separate from the World Bank System, becoming an independent international institution. While, even if it officially get out of the World Bank, the WB still keep a close connection with GEF, it stays as GEF’s trust fund and offer the necessary administrative service. $12.5 billion in grants and leveraged $58 billion in co-financing for 3,690 projects has been offered by GEF for 165 developing countries (Since 1991), in order to solve the environmental issues. As part of the restructuring, the GEF was entrusted to become the financial mechanism for both the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. With the implication of GEF, developed countries, Brick countries, developing countries are willing to provide found in return, supporting GEF and other needed countries to solving their environmental problem, such as climate change, land degradation, international waters, and biodiversity. In partnership with the Montreal Protocol of the Vienna Convention on Ozone Layer Depleting Substances, the GEF started funding projects that enable the Russian Federation and nations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia to phase out their use of ozone-destroying chemicals.


B) GEF cooperation with UN and international climate convention

Being a part of the restructuring, the GEF was established for the aim to working as the financial function for
• The UN Convention on Biological Diversity
• The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Through its Small Grants Program (SGP) the GEF has made more than 20,000 grants to civil society and community based organizations for a total of $1 billion. In recent international convention and agreements, the GEF has been always getting involved, serving as a finical function. These include:
• The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (2001),
• The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (2003) and
• The Minamata Convention on Mercury (2013).


C) The participation of Shanghai World EXPO


In order to promote the concept of environment protection and achieving the new cooperation worldwide, GEF has participated in the world EXPO in Shanghai 2010.
The pavilion of the Global Environment Facility in Shanghai world EXPO, showed the history of the establishment of the Global Environment Facility, institutional settings, and the development process. Through the pictures and multimedia display, visitors can understand the positive contribution of the Global Environment Fund in the dissemination of its own experience for environmental protection. The GEF pavilion also showed how to protect the environmental through technology.


D) Cooperation with China for environment protection

China has been always highlighting the great importance of environmental protection. Environmental protection as a basic national policy, all the concerned activities should respect the environment. China has participated the dialogue and cooperation on global level for environmental protection and sustainable development. It is a member of a number of important international environmental conventions and agreements; it is also an initial member of GEF. Over the years, the Chinese government has been working closely with the Global Environment Facility to carry out extensive and close cooperation, and promote the construction of a number related to sustainable development of national laws and regulations. Such as
• The introduction of advanced management concepts and methods
• Research and development of a large number of forward-looking, sustainability and reliability of the project concept
• Achieved significant national benefit and global benefits.

GEF has also led to China's environmental protection with a great deal of investment in international and domestic private capital resources, promoting China's economic and social rapid, sustained, healthy and harmonious development.

On the other hand, ever since the Global Environment Facility begun to start its work on the biodiversity and climate change areas, according to the resource allocation framework, China has obtained 044.3 million and $ 150 million in both areas. Especially since June 2006, Ms. Monica BABU selected as the new executive director of the Global Environment Facility, the Global Environment Facility began a major reform to reach a fairness strategy. To be noticed that China is not only the GEF recipient countries, it is also one of the countries who donate financial contributions to the Global Environment Facility. In the first period of the Global Environment Facility, the Chinese government has contributed $ 28,910,000. In the end of 2006, China's renewed commitment to its contribution to $ 9,510,000.