Application Procedure

Any environmental organization that wants to become a member of the GEF CSO Network needs to apply for membership by submitting an application form together with the prescribed documentation to the Network. The application form will be similar to the former Application for the accreditation managed by the GEF Secretariat.

All applications must be accompanied by a cover letter signed by the Chief Executive Officer or an authorized senior official of the CSO, confirming their interest in becoming a member of the GC Network voluntarily and their agreement, if admitted as members, to respect all rules and procedures of the Network. The application must be accompanied by information on the organization’s competence and relevance to the work of the GEF. Such information should indicate the particular areas of the GEF to which such competence and relevance pertain. Fake or misinformation may cause removal from membership and blacklisting in GEF Systems.

The application and accompanying materials must include:

• The purposes of the organization, its date of establishment, the location of its principal office(s), and the country or countries in which it is active.
• Information as to the programs and activities of the organization in areas relevant to the GEF, and in which country(ies) they are carried out.
• Copies of its most recent annual report and financial statements (subject to the country policy), and a listing of governing body members and their country of nationality.
• In case of membership organizations, a description of its membership, indicating total numbers and their geographical distribution.
• Information on the implementation of the GEF projects and/or participation in the GEF-related activities during the previous 3 years.
• References of GEF agencies or other Network members with whom they have worked.
• Other material specified in the application procedure.

The list of accompanying materials may be revised from time to time by the Coordination Committee.

Procedure for Screening and Acceptance of Membership

On the basis of the information provided in accordance with the established procedure, the Network will accept the membership of any CSO that has met the criteria for membership and has agreed to meet the obligations of membership of the Network.

The Membership process is as follows:

1. The application for membership will be reviewed first by any designated membership officer/contact person of the Network Secretariat who will confirm that the application is complete and, if not, request missing information.
2. The application may be referred to the respective RFP for written comment, and references may be requested from other sources in the country concerned, such as existing members of the Network or the National SGP Coordinator or other sources.
3. Once an application is complete, it may then be referred to the Governance Sub-Committee or Membership Task Force (that may be established, if necessary) for formal consideration and endorsement or rejection.
4. Acceptance or rejection of the membership application would be made by the Coordination Committee or delegated to the Governance Sub-Committee.
5. Once approved or rejected, the applicant will be informed about the decision of the Network by GCN Secretariat.
6. The applicant CSO has the right to file an appeal to CC against the rejection of the membership application delegated to the Governance Sub-Committee.
7. The decision of the Network on the admission or rejection of membership is final.
8. A roster of newly enrolled members would be presented at every meeting of the GEF-CSO Network that precedes the Council meeting.
9. The profile of the newly enrolled member would be uploaded to the GEF-CSO website.

Management of Membership Information

1. The membership of the GEF-CSO Network will be maintained by the Secretariat or the respective RFP of the Network.
2. The directory of members will be maintained online and open to all members. Summary information will be available to the public.
3. The membership database will, as far as possible, be integrated with the database maintained on the GEF-CSO website to minimize duplication.
4. Copies of the relevant documents submitted by the applicants will be maintained as an archive or within the website of the Network for review and access as required.
5. The Election Task Force should submit a regular report to the CC of the Network, providing information on the status of membership and measures to promote and effectively manage membership and elections.

Updating of Contact Details

1. Member organizations may, from time to time, inform the Network of changes in their organization’s address and contact details, as well as changes in the contact person.
2. Updating may be undertaken by submitting an Update Form or an online submission.
3. All the Network RFPs would engage directly with the civil society organizations/member organizations in their constituency and help in improving the membership and also the details of the existing database.

Membership Term and Renewal or Withdrawal of Membership

1. The membership term of organizations will be five years, starting from the date they are admitted as members until the end of December in their fifth year of membership.
2. Three months before the end of their membership period, members will be asked by the GNC Secretariat to submit a Membership Renewal Form, confirming their ongoing activities in GEF-related areas and compliance with other criteria.
3. Member organizations will receive two reminders to renew their membership up until March of the following year. Those who do not respond will have a report regarding their inactive status presented at the CC meeting. After approval from the CC, they will be removed as members and will no longer be eligible to participate in Network activities or vote in Network elections.
4. If members express interest in rejoining the Network after this period, they must reapply.
5. Any member organization may withdraw from the Network’s membership at any time by submitting a letter of resignation as a member organization.
6. Any organization found to have provided false or misleading information to the Network to obtain membership may have their membership terminated. Action against those providing false information will also be taken against their RFP upon verification.
7. Any organization that behaves in a manner that tarnishes the Network’s reputation or deliberately makes false accusations against the Network or other member organizations may have their membership terminated.

Modification of Membership Procedures

1. The Network’s membership procedures may be reviewed and modified periodically by the Coordination Committee to enhance understanding or clarity.
2. Fundamental changes to the membership criteria or term may need to be referred to the membership for comment.