This collection of research material was collated by researcher Zoe Young whilst undertaking a study on the politics of implementing the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The research was funded by the UK's Economic and Social Research Council, and was undertaken in the Geography Department of the University of Hull in conjunction with the Science Policy Research Unit. The research led to the creation of a documentary on the GEF ('Suits and Savages - Why the World Bank Won't Save the World') in conjunction with production company Conscious Cinema in 2000. It also let to the co-authoring of a research report with Korinna Horta and Robin Round in 2002 ('The Global Environment Facility: The First Ten Years - Growing Pains or Inherent Flaws?') for presentation at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, also known as Rio+10. In the same year Young also published a book titled 'A New Green Order? The World Bank and the Politics of the Global Environment Facility', and attended the WSSD to undertake interviews and collect research for another production by Conscious Cinema.
The material mostly covers the period 1991-1999 and so relates to the first 10 years of the GEF's existence only. As such it documents the establishment and restructuring of the GEF and early evaluation work as to its progress, success and failings. There is an additional file of material relating to Young's involvement with the WWSD in 2002 which sits slightly separate to the rest of the collection but has been retained to highlight the international impact of the research represented in this collection. The material consists of published and copy reports and papers produced by GEF, it's technical advisory body STAP and associated partners (including the World Bank, UN bodies and NGOs); agenda, statements, working documents and discussion briefs for GEF Council and Assembly meetings; articles, press cuttings, papers, reports and dissertations relating to GEF; publications, newsletters and project documents produced by GEF; questionnaire returns and interview transcripts produced by Young; drafts of chapters and papers written by Young.
The collection contains the following 24 files, some of which have a number of subfiles associated with them: Conference of the Parties; United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity; Council Meetings; Environmental Defence Fund; Monitoring and Evaluation; NGO Consultation; Participants Assembly 1998; Annual Reports; Projects; Restructure, Replenishment and Revision; STAP; Small Grants Programme; Rio+10 / World Summit on Sustainable Development; Research Papers of Zoe Young; Incremental Costs; Publications; Official Statements; Articles; The World Bank; Critiques; Operational Reports; Working Papers; Discussion and Draft Papers; United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.