Phl urged to tap into $50-M GEF

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines could tap into the Global Environment Facility (GEF) which is providing $50 million in grants to addess the depletion of the high seas, as the country moves to protect its biodiverse marine resources.

The GEF grant would be coupled with $270 million in co-financing from public and private partners, including the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Bank, the United Nations Environment Program, the Tuna and Deep Sea Regional Fisheries Management Organizations, the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the International Coalition of Fisheries Associations, the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, the South Indian Ocean Fisheries Association, Birdlife International, Conservation International, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, World Wildlife Fund and the Global Oceans Forum.

According to the GEF, fisheries are on the decline worldwide, despite being one of the most important global food security issues of this century.

The GEF pointed out that the high-seas, places that don’t fall under the jurisdiction of any one country, cover 64 percent of the surface of the oceans.

These “Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction” (ABNJ), are suffering as no one nation has the sole responsibility for their management, in some cases resulting in the near collapse of some species of tuna, loss of marine biodiversity, and threatening of marine ecosystem health and services.

To address this planetary challenge, the GEF has partnered with the FAO and other agencies, NGOs, and the private sector, in the largest concerted effort to address this area which currently is responsible for over 10 percent of the global catch.

Fisheries targeting the highly migratory species of the high seas, such as the tunas, the GEF said, are worth over $10 billion annually alone.

Thus, the aim of the GEF’s groundbreaking initiative is to promote the sustainable management of fisheries resources and marine biodiversity in the most important global commons of the planet – the shared oceans.

“We know that this is an ambitious initiative. But with the coalition of partners that we managed to establish, I am confident that we can create the necessary momentum to achieve the High Seas-ABNJ program’s objectives. The program indeed is the largest concerted effort to address this iconic last frontier to sustain its fisheries and biodiversity,” said Monique Barbut, CEO and chairperson of the GEF.

“This isn’t just about marine conservation. This is about food security,” said Carter Roberts, president and CEO of the WWF.

“Thriving fisheries are essential for our lives, but woefully under-protected. This breakthrough brings together the industry’s biggest players, the FAO and WWF to improve governance, reduce bycatch, and ensure a more sustainable future for tuna and other ocean life on which we all depend,” Roberts added.

The GEF program will strive to deliver responsible management leading to restored ecosystems, piloted through rights-based management and the ecosystem approach, resulting in a reduction in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

The program will also reduce other adverse ecosystem impacts on biodiversity, and introduce sustainable management practices for deep-sea fisheries.

The GEF unites 182 member governments – in partnership with international institutions, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector – to address global environmental issues.

It is an independent operating financial organization that provides grants to developing countries and countries with economies in transition for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, and persistent organic pollutants.

These projects benefit the global environment, linking local, national, and global environmental challenges and promoting sustainable livelihoods.

Established in 1991, the GEF is today the largest public funder of projects to improve the global environment.

The GEF has allocated $9.2 billion, supplemented by more than $40 billion in co-financing, for more than 2,700 projects in more than 165 developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

Through its Small Grants Program (SGP), the GEF has also made more than 12,000 small grants directly to non-governmental and community organizations, totaling $495 million.