As at 29 May 2023, the balance of the Fund stood at US $494,941,381 in cash.
The Multilateral Fund was set up by the Parties to the Montreal Protocol to assist developing countries to comply with the terms of the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement that sets out a timetable for the phase-out of ODS in both developed and developing countries. The Multilateral Fund provides assistance to countries that are Parties to the Montreal Protocol and whose annual per capita consumption and production of CFCs and halons is less than 0.3 kg on the date of entry into force of the Montreal Protocol or any time thereafter until 1 January 1999. The developing countries that meet these criteria are referred to as Article 5 countries. Contributions to the Multilateral Fund are provided by the non-Article 5 countries.
The Kigali Amendment, which was adopted at the Twenty-eighth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP) on 15 October 2016, added HFCs, non-ODS greenhouse gases that do not damage the ozone layer but have a high global-warming potential (GWP), to the list of substances controlled under the Protocol. The Kigali Amendment entered into force on 1 January 2019. As at 5 February 2020, it has been ratified by 93 Parties. The Montreal Protocol’s timetable for the phase-down of HFCs in both Article 5 and non-Article 5 countries is set out in Annex F of the Protocol.
A group of 17 non-Article 5 Parties has provided fast-start support for the implementation of the Kigali Amendment, that is additional to their regular contributions to the Fund. The additional contributions have been made available to Article 5 countries that had an HFC consumption baseline year between 2020 and 2022 and that had ratified or formally indicated their intent to ratify the Kigali Amendment and take on early HFC phase down obligations in order to support their enabling activities, such as capacity building and training in handling HFC alternatives, Article 4B licensing, reporting, and project preparation activities, taking into account, but not restricted to, relevant guidelines and decisions of the Executive Committee.
The contributions received by the Multilateral Fund from developed countries, or non-Article 5 countries, totalled over US$ 5.02 billion. The Fund has also received additional voluntary contributions amounting to US $25.5 million from a group of donor countries to finance fast-start activities for the implementation of the HFC phase-down.
Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of Multilateral Fund (MLF)-financed projects and activities are an essential part of the Secretariat’s work.
Following the Multilateral Fund’s permanent establishment in 1994, the Executive Committee approved, the following year, the preparation of evaluation guidelines. Henceforth, all project proposals included the milestones for the completion of various stages of the project.
The process of M&E not only ensures that the funds disbursed are actually being used to meet the project objectives but it is also a tool to assess the overall effectiveness of the Fund in phasing out ozone-depleting substances.
The Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer (SMEO) is responsible for M&E and reports directly to the Executive Committee to maintain independence from the Secretariat of the Multilateral Fund, where the SMEO office is located.
Monitoring of projects involves periodic reporting to gauge progress or lack thereof. Project completion reports (PCRs), using standardized formats for different types of projects, are mandatory for all projects benefitting from the MLF funding. The reports analyse the project implementation and formulate lessons learnt. They are collected from the implementing agencies and presented by the SMEO to the Executive Committee in a consolidated document at each of its meetings. The lessons learnt are collected in a database and are accessible through a search engine.
Evaluations assess the effectiveness and achievements of projects in specific sectors or on specific topics. An evaluation reviews the project cycle from preparation through implementation to completion, to analyse whether the objectives, in terms of phase-out of controlled substances, were achieved. It provides information on strengths and limitations of various types of projects; major causes of success or failure in reaching targets; formulates lessons learnt as well as recommendations for actions to improve the performance of the Fund.
The Committee approves the annual monitoring and evaluation work programme that includes proposed evaluation studies as well as a budget for their implementation and the different monitoring tasks to be undertaken. Evaluations are prepared by the SMEO with the support, when required, of independent consultants.
The Executive Committee is responsible for overseeing the operation of the Fund. The Committee comprises five members from Article 5 and five from non-Article 5 parties, selected each year by the Meeting of the Parties. The most recent list of Committee members may be found here.
Four Implementing Agencies implement MLF-financed activities in developing countries. These agencies are: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the World Bank. More information on each agency's role may be found here.
The Secretariat assists the Executive Committee in the discharge of its functions. Its activities include: development of the three-year plan and budget and a system for fund disbursement; management of the business planning cycle of the Multilateral Fund; monitoring the expenditures and activities of the implementing agencies; preparation of policy papers and other documents; review and assessment of investment projects, country programmes and the business plans and work programmes of the implementing agencies; liaison between the Committee, governments and implementing agencies; and servicing meetings of the Executive Committee. The Secretariat also includes the monitoring and evaluation Function which was established by the Executive Committee. The Fund Secretariat is not mandated to implement projects and programmes but to ensure that the objectives of the Multilateral Fund are adhered to. Information on the Fund Secretariat may be found here.
The "Policies, Procedures, Guidelines and Criteria of the Multilateral Fund" contain the policies, procedures, guidelines and criteria, as established by the Meetings of the Parties of the Montreal Protocol and elaborated by the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund in accordance with its terms of reference. They can be found here.
Article 5 countries under the Montreal Protocol are eligible for funding.
The "Policies, Procedures, Guidelines and Criteria of the Multilateral Fund" contain the policies, procedures, guidelines and criteria, as established by the Meetings of the Parties of the Montreal Protocol and elaborated by the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund in accordance with its terms of reference. They can be found here. Additional information can be found here.