First Annual Report “The World Bank and the Environment”, FY 1990 NUMBER 055 ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: OCTOBER 2006 January 2016 The World Bank Group Archives Exhibit Series contains exhibits originally published on the Archives’ external website beginning in 2002. When the Archives’ website was transferred to a new platform in 2015, it was decided that older exhibits would be converted to pdf format and made available as a series on the World Bank’s external database, Documents & Reports. These exhibits, authored by World Bank archivists, highlight key events, personalities, and publications in the history of the World Bank. They also bring attention to some of the more fascinating archival records contained in the Archives’ holdings. To view current exhibits, visit the Exhibits page on the Archives’ website. First Annual Report “The World Bank and the Environment”, FY 1990 Bank’s Environmental Activities (1990s) The Press Release of September 24, 1990 on the first environmental annual report announced that the Bank had approved 11 loans – totaling $403.9 million – to support environmental projects in fiscal 1990, which ended June 30, 1990. Only two similar loans were approved the previous year. Fifty percent of all loans approved in fiscal 1990 – 107 loans – contained environmental components. To carry out its expanding environmental activities, the Bank also increased staff time devoted to such work. Press Release on annual report, September 24, Global Environment Facility 1990. See below for enlarged document In addition, international meetings involving concerned governments, the Bank, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), were taking place on the establishment of a Global Environment Facility (GEF). GEF was launched at a meeting in Paris on November 27-28, 1990 through agreement between 25 countries. The World Bank became the administrator of the Facility, which is implemented in cooperation with the UNDP and UNEP. The GEF’s major objectives include: - conservation, prevention of global warming, and forestry management; - preservation of areas of rich ecological diversity; - protection of international waters; - prevention of the destruction of the ozone layer. Press Release on GEF Currently, the active portfolio of Bank-implemented establishment, November GEF projects is 223 projects with total net GEF grant 28, 1990. See below for amount commitments of $1,528 million. The largest enlarged document share of commitments under implementation are in the Latin America Region (26%), followed by the East Asia and Pacific Region (23%), Africa (21%) and Europe and Central Asia (14%). United Nations Climate Change Conference 2006 The United Nations Climate Change Conference will take place in Nairobi, Kenya from November 6 to 17, 2006. This is the twelfth session of the conference of the parties, and the second meeting of the parties to the Kyoto Protocol. Some of the issues that will be covered during this conference include: - a program on the impact and adaptation to climate change; Press Release on global - development and transfer of technologies; environment protection, - reducing emissions from deforestation in developing September 17, 1990. See countries. below for enlarged document