The Conference of the Parties,
Recalling decisions 12/CP.2, 3/CP.16, 5/CP.16, 7/CP.16, 11/CP.17, 9/CP.18 and 6/CP.19,
Taking note with appreciation of the annual report of the Global Environment Facility to the Conference of the Parties,
Taking note of the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Finance contained in its report to the Conference of the Parties with regard to the provision of draft guidance to the Global Environment Facility,
1. Welcomes with appreciation the sixth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility (July 2014 to June 2018), while urging countries that have not fulfilled their pledges for the fifth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility to do so as soon as possible;
2. Notes that the amount of funding available for the climate change focal area was reduced in the sixth replenishment period of the Global Environment Facility and that the country allocation of some countries, including some least developed countries, small island developing States, and African States has decreased as a consequence, while highlighting that funding for climate change related interventions at the Global Environment Facility has continued to increase with pilot integrated approaches;
3. Welcomes the pledges and contributions made to the Least Developed Countries Fund and the Special Climate Change Fund, and calls for continued support to these funds;
4. Notes the actions being taken by the Global Environment Facility to expedite its project cycle;
5. Encourages the Global Environment Facility to continue to cooperate with all its implementing and project agencies as well as recipient countries in order to improve its project cycle, taking into account the report of the fifth overall performance study of the Global Environment Facility3 and the recommendations contained therein;
6. Also encourages the Global Environment Facility to continue to increase the overall transparency and openness of its operations, particularly with regard to the disclosure of information on the status of the implementation of projects and programmes, the projectlevel accountability of its implementing agencies and with respect to the timely disbursement of funds, as well as the advice provided to countries on co-financing;
7. Welcomes the gender mainstreaming policy of the Global Environment Facility;
8. Requests the Global Environment Facility to ensure that gender mainstreaming is implemented both within its portfolio and within its structure;
9. Takes note of the policy on co-financing of the Global Environment Facility and the concerns regarding the implementation of this policy as raised by some Parties;
10. Encourages the Global Environment Facility to improve the communication of its co-financing policy so that it is better understood and appropriately applied by accredited project agencies and the implementing agencies of the Global Environment Facility, while acknowledging the potential impacts of this policy on developing country Parties, in particular the least developed countries, small island developing States, and African States;
11. Also encourages the Global Environment Facility to finalize the accreditation of project agencies and to share, in its next report to the Conference of the Parties, lessons learned and progress made in its pilot accreditation of project agencies, particularly in the least developed countries, small island developing States and African States;
12. Requests the Global Environment Facility to continue to work with its implementing agencies to further simplify its procedures and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the process through which Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention receive funding to meet their obligations under Article 12, paragraph 1, of the Convention;
13. Invites Parties to submit to the secretariat annually, in writing, and no later than 10 weeks prior to the subsequent session of the Conference of the Parties, their views and recommendations on the elements to be taken into account in developing guidance to the Global Environment Facility;
14. Requests the Standing Committee on Finance to take into consideration the submissions referred to in paragraph 13 above when providing draft guidance to the Global Environment Facility for consideration by the Conference of the Parties;
15. Also requests the Global Environment Facility to include, in its annual report to the Conference of the Parties, information on the steps that it has taken to implement the guidance provided in this decision.
