Beijing to host GEF Assembly
( 2002-09-10 09:35 ) (1 )

The forthcoming second Assembly of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) will call for the joint efforts of all countries and regions of the world to meet global environmental challenges, official sources said on Monday.

According to a joint announcement from the Ministry of Finance and the State Environmental Protection Administration, the GEF Assembly is to be held in Beijing on October 16-18.

Officials from GEF members and international organizations, such as the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme and regional development banks, will attend the meeting. Some non-government organizations will also send delegates.

The meeting will sum up experiences and draw on lessons in environmental protection and sustainable development over the past decade.

An international grant foundation, GEF has 173 member states and operates more than 1,000 projects around the world. Launched in 1991, GEF aims to forge international co-operation and finance to address bio-diversity loss, climate change, water problems and ozone depletion.

China is a founding member of GEF and has received more than US$300 million in grants for use on 55 projects, including 14 global and regional projects. The projects involve a wide spectrum of environmental issues, including bio-diversity preservation, industrial energy efficiency, renewable energy, protection of international waters and land degradation.