Earmarked contributions and payments to trust funds are made by Governments, United Nations agencies, other organizations, non-state actors and individuals, for specific programme activities, services and facilities for individual projects. Trust funds at UNEP are earmarked by donors for specific purposes.

The biggest trust fund is the one for the Multilateral Fund under the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the Ozone layer, for which UNEP’s role is largely that of treasurer. The general-purpose trust funds provide financial resources for activities supporting the programme of work of UNEP as well as of conventions and regional seas programmes and the activities of their secretariats. The Technical Co-operation trust funds are used to facilitate technical assistance to developing countries and also for financing personnel through Junior Professional Officer Programmes and the secondment of staff from donor countries. Trust funds often have a different governing structure from that of the Environment Fund, may be bilateral or multilateral and are accounted for separately.

The number of active trust funds has reduced from 74 in 2003 to 73 in 2008, comprising of 36 trust funds in direct support of the UNEP Programme of Work, 32 trust funds supporting Conventions, Protocols and Regional Seas, and 5 Special category trust funds. This number is expected to further decrease by the end of the biennium 2008-2009 due to closure of inactive trust funds.

In 2004-2005 UNEP received US$157.8 million in counterpart contributions and payments to trust funds directly supporting UNEP’s Programme of work. Approximately the same level of income was recorded in 2006-2007 when UNEP received US$156.1 million. The earmarked support in the current biennium of 2008-2009 is expected to be higher and exceed US$200 million.