Montreal, 17 September
2007 - There is still work to be done before
anyone can say the ozone layer has fully
recovered. And to help reach that goal,
the Global Environment Facility remains
committed as a key multilateral financial
institution to help countries work on concrete
ways to protect the ozone layer, particularly
in conjunction with measures to reduce releases
of greenhouse gases.
"Today, it is increasingly clear that
global environmental issues ? from climate
change to biodiversity to ozone depletion
to desertification ?are inter-related, and
that solutions can no longer be applied
in separate silos of action," said
GEF Deputy CEO Patricia Bliss-Guest. "The
GEF's capacity to work in an integrated
manner now underpins activities in each
of our focal areas. Increasingly, the global
community will need to show its capacity
to build on the synergies among the global
environmental agreements to design solutions
to the threats to climate, biodiversity,
the ozone layer, and other global commons.
At the GEF, we stand ready to continue with
our partners the forward movement for integrated
environmental solutions."
Bliss-Guest noted that getting the already
impressive results on the ozone layer was
only possible through cooperation and collaboration
among GEF members as well as the bodies
of the Montreal Protocol, the Ozone Secretariat,
the Implementation Committee, the Secretariat
of the Multilateral Fund and the Implementing
Agencies.
Through those collaborative efforts, the
GEF has helped eighteen countries with economies
in transition meet their obligations under
the Montreal Protocol. In 15 years those
countries, with GEF support, have achieved
over 99% reduction in their consumption
of ozone depleting substances, phasing out
some 296,000 tons of ODS. The GEF has committed
US$183 million in grant resources and leveraged
an additional US$ 187 million towards this
effort.
"The ozone story is, in the end, a
story of remarkable partnership around the
globe. The Montreal Protocol stands to show
us all that governments can come together
in a practical way to solve a critical environmental
problem," Bliss-Guest said in remarks
before the international meeting.
About the GEF
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is
an international financial mechanism with
177 member countries that addresses global
environmental issues while supporting national
sustainable development initiatives. GEF
grants support projects in developing countries
related to biodiversity, climate change,
international waters, land degradation,
the ozone layer and persistent organic pollutants.
Since its inception in 1991, GEF has achieved
a strong track record of support to developing
countries and countries with economies in
transition, providing $6.2 billion in grants
and leveraging $20 billion in co-financing
for over 1,800 projects in over 150 countries.
Through its Small Grants Programme (SGP),
GEF has also made more than 7,000 small
grants, up to $50,000 each, directly to
nongovernmental organizations and community
organizations.
Maureen Shields Lorenzetti, GEF Washington
