As one of the three implementing agencies of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the World Bank draws upon its lending experience and policy dialogue with developing countries to help them identify, prepare and implement projects that simultaneously reduce poverty, improve the local, environment and benefit the global environment.

The GEF finances projects to address six critical threats to the global environment: loss of biodiversity; climate change; degradation of international waters; ozone depletion; land degradation; persistent organic pollutants. It serves as the financial mechanism for the Convention on Biological Diversity, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). GEF financing is provided to eligible countries through the World Bank, UNDP, UNEP, four regional development banks, FAO, IFAD and UNIDO. Since its beginning in 1991, the GEF has provided $6.2 billion in grants and generated over $20 billion in co-financing from other sources to support over 1,800 projects that produce global environmental benefits in 140 developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

The GEF consists of an Assembly of all participating countries, a Council, a Secretariat, a Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel, and three Implementing Agencies – UNDP, UNEP and the World Bank. Four regional development banks (AfDB, AsDB, EBRD, and IDB), FAO, UNIDO, and IFAD ("executing agencies") contribute to the management and execution of GEF projects under the expanded opportunities. For further information, click on "Partners and Links" in the left navigation menu.

The active portfolio of World Bank-implemented GEF projects at the end of 2007 is 219 projects with total net GEF Grant amount commitments of $1.6 billion. In terms of approvals, the GEF grant amount approved by the World Bank Board in 2007 was US$220 million (22 projects).