With reference to ‘Global Environment Facility’, which of the following statements is/are correct?

Answer: (a) It serves as financial mechanism for ‘Convention on Biological Diversity’ and ‘United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’

The GEF is the financial mechanism of the CBD, UNFCCC, UNCCD, Stockholm and Minamata conventions.

The idea

Environmental treaties ask developing countries to act, and action costs money. Instead of creating a separate fund for each treaty, countries use one common fund for several of them. That fund is the Global Environment Facility. It gives grants for projects; it does not do research.

Donor countries refill the fund every four years → World Bank holds the money as trustee → Agencies such as UNDP, UNEP and the World Bank design projects → Developing countries receive grants

Why the others are wrong

(b) It funds projects; it is not a research body.

(d) Includes (b), which is wrong.

The trap

(d) looks safe as a combination. (b) is wrong, so (d) falls with it.

Elimination technique

Option (c) makes it “an agency under OECD”. Parentage claims about international bodies are usually false in Environment PYQs.

Also know

The GEF serves five conventions: CBD, UNFCCC, UNCCD (desertification), Stockholm (persistent organic pollutants) and Minamata (mercury). It began in 1991 as a World Bank pilot and was restructured after the Rio summit. India is both a donor and a recipient. The Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (2023) also sits under it. The Small Grants Programme for community groups is run by UNDP.