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CURITIBA, Brazil, Mar 24 (IPS) - The United States' intention to partially withdraw its financial support for global efforts to protect the environment is worrying experts and policymakers attending a major international conference here on biodiversity. As negotiations over funding for the implementation of the U.N. Convention on Biodiversity continue this week, many fear that if the U.S. scales back its contribution to the Global Environment Facility (GEF), other donor countries might follow suit.
"The worst case scenario is that if the U.S. lowers its funding, everyone else will do the same," Mario Ramos, a senior biodiversity specialist at GEF, told IPS. If that happens, "the situation will be really difficult because a lot of environmental problems will increase," he said, "If we can't keep the current level of funding, it will be really difficult to implement the Convention."
Established 15 years ago, the GEF provides grants to developing countries for projects that benefit the environment and promote sustainable livelihoods. Since then, it has distributed over four billion dollars in grants and generated more than five billion dollars in funding.
For many years, Washington supported the GEF, but last November, U.S. representatives told the 32-member body that it might not be able to sustain the current level of funding. If approved, a budget proposal for 2006-2010 by the George W. Bush administration now before the U.S. Congress would cut funding from 428 million dollars to 224 million dollars. "This is causing a lot of frustration," a European diplomat told IPS. The Europeans, according to the diplomat and others, are trying hard to convince the U.S. not to step back at this stage because such a move would adversely effect the implementation of the Convention on Biodiversity.
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http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=32644
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