To: Nani G. Oruga, The Bees Trees
From: Chris N. Eppers, Solar Musketeers
Re: Who are the actors? What is the GEF's structure? How are decisions made?
Dear Nani,
Now that you've had a chance to mull over the GEF's purpose and history, here
is an overview of how it is organised. It's not the neatest structure around.
I've tried all sorts of figures, but none of them seem to capture the various
relationships adequately. Considering the number of institutions and international
treaties involved, not to mention the complexity of the issues, it's hardly
surprising that it is rather intricate. Notwithstanding my difficulties in coming
up with a diagram, I've attached my best attempt. It might, at least, help you
to remember the structure. It's a simplified version. For the time being there
is no official organisational chart. The Secretariat is in the process of developing
one and it will form a part of the forthcoming official GEF' directory.
Below I have described the role of each of the actors in and components of
the GEE Some of the 'items' on the diagram figure primarily in the project cycle.
I'll go into more depth about their function in GEF projects in another letter
(Letter 9). If you're really interested in the structure of the GEF I recommend
that you read The Instrument for the Establishment of the Restructured Global
Environment Facility. This is the document, mentioned in my last letter that
is the agreement for establishing the GEF. Compared to most internationally
negotiated agreements, it's fairly clearly written. Anyway, here is the explanation
to go with the diagram.
The Assembly is made up of all the countries participating in the GEF. Any
country may participate however there is an expectation that richer countries
will make some form of financial commitment. Although there is no definition
of government participation, to be a participant basically means being allowed
to participate in the decision-making and governance of the GEF. The Assembly
meets every three years to review the policies and operations of the Facility
on the basis of reports from the Council. It is also the forum for taking decisions
on amendments to the Instrument.
The Council is the main governing body it meets twice year and makes decisions
about policy and operational matters. The Council must take into account the
reviews of the Assembly. When the GEF operates as a financial mechanism for
the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological
Diversity, the Council must follow the guidance from the Conference of Parties
of these conventions. In practice the guidance is rather vague. Generally it
is up to the GEF in particular the Secretariat, to interpret it. The Council
must also report back to the parties on the activities carried out under the
financial mechanisms. The GEF is not the financial mechanism for the Montreal
Protocol, however it still co-operates with its Conference of Parties.
The Council consists of representatives of thirty-two Constituencies: eighteen
Council members are from recipient countries and fourteen from nonrecipient
(developed) countries. Some Constituencies have a mixture of donor and recipient
countries. For example Austria and Luxembourg with the recipient countries of
the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, and Turkey are all
in the same constituency. Each Council member serves for three years, or until
a new Member is appointed by the constituency. You can get a list of the members
in each constituency from the GEF Secretariat.
The eighteen recipient countries Constituencies are distributed as follows:
six for Africa, six for the Asia/Pacific region, and four For Latin America
and the Caribbean. These Constituencies are formed through consultations among
these countries, taking into account a number of criteria, which include (i)
equitable and balanced representation, (ii) common environmental concerns; (iii)
policies toward sustainable development; (iv) natural resource endowment and
environmental vulnerability; and (v) contributions to the Facility.
The 14 non-recipient Constituencies are also formed through consultations,
but the main criterion is contributions to the GEF: a country giving a relatively
large contribution may have a constituency to itself.
Decisions are usually taken by consensus. If a vote were ever necessary, it
would be done on a country rather than constituency basis. A double majority
system is used; a majority of donors and a majority of countries is needed for
a proposal to pass. This system gives the possibility of a veto to both the
recipient and donor countries
Council meetings are co-chaired by an elected Council member and the Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) (see below). The elected co-Chairship alternates between
donor and recipient governments. The nomination and vote for the elected co-Chairperson
occurs at the start of each meeting. In practice informal consultations are
held a few weeks preceding the Council meeting to nominate the co-Chair. Some
have felt and continue to feel that allowing the CEO to coChair gives the CEO
too much power.
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are now able to observe Council meetings.
Only ten representatives are allowed so there is a selection procedure. If you
are interested in going to a Council meeting, I'll send some details (Letter
11) about how to go about doing it.
The Secretariat serves and reports to the Assembly and Council. It is headed
by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The CEO is accountable to the Council. The
Secretariat coordinates the implementation of GEF activities such as projects
and programmes, as well as the formulation of policies and operational strategies.
It has an important role in the project cycle. The Secretariat is located in
the offices of the World Rank but in practice is independent from it.
The Implementing Agencies (IAs) are responsible for developing projects for
GEF funding and then implementing them, through executing agencies. The term
'implementing' comes from the Pilot Phase days, with the idea that these agencies
would "implement the GGF". At the risk of being repetitive, these
are the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP'), the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP), and the World Bank. The IAs also provide input on policies
and programmes. They are accountable to the Council.
The IAs, through their task manager work closely with the executing agencies,
which are responsible for the day to day operations of individual projects.
These could be government bodies, or other UN agencies. Sometimes there may
be an NGO involved in a partnership with the executing agency. In other cases
the private sector may be involved. The different IAs are expected to handle
projects within their areas of competence. For example the World Bank deals
more with investment projects, while UNDP' handles technical assistance type
projects. In practice there is some overlap. Another positive development, since
the Pilot Phase, is that the IAs are beginning to work together more.
The Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) is a group of twelve internationally
recognised experts whose main role is to provide advice on GEF policies, operational
strategies, and programmes. It may review selected projects, but does not examine
each one. The constitution of the STAP relates to the choosing, developing,
and implementing of GEF projects. Therefore many of STAP 's members have project
as well as purely scientific expertise. The current STAP has better coverage
of social issues than during the Pilot Phase. The STAP maintains a Roster of
Experts and all projects must be reviewed by someone on this list. If you would
like to read up on STAP, check out Terms of Reference on the Scientific and
Technical Advisory Panel (STAP): Mandate Composition, and Role (GEF/ C.5/5),
and S TAP' Recommendations for Selective Review of Projects (GEF/C.5/7).
The GEF Operations Committee (GEFOP) is the forum through which the Secretariat
discusses projects and policies with other actors in the GFP. It consists of
people working in the Secretariat, members of IAs, and STAP, representatives.
As necessary, representatives from the relevant convention Secretariat participate,
either in person or through a conference call. I'll give more details on GEF
OP' in the letter explaining the project cycle (Letter 9).
To keep the diagram simple, I've left one actor off it. This is the Trustee
of the GEF's money. The Trustee is the World Bank and the pot of money is called
the GEF Trust Fund. The role of the World Rank as a trustee is independent from
its role as an Implementing Agency. As a trustee, it basically helps with fund
raising, accounting, and financial management of the Fund. The reason for this
arrangement was to avoid having to create a new financial bureaucracy and independent
legal structure.
