China makes new claim in eastern border with Bhutan

News: China has made territorial claims over Sakteng wildlife sanctuary in eastern Bhutan at an online meeting of the Global Environment Facility(GEF).

Facts:

• Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary: It is located in Trashigang District, Eastern Bhutan.
• It is listed as a tentative site in Bhutan’s Tentative List for UNESCO inclusion.
• The sanctuary represents the easternmost temperate ecosystems and is part of the Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests ecoregion. 

Additional Facts:

• Global Environment Facility(GEF): It is a Trust Fund established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
• Aim: To help developing countries and countries with economies in transition to meet the objectives of the international environmental conventions and agreements.
• Trustee: World Bank serves as the GEF Trustee administering the GEF Trust Fund (contributions by donors).
• Financial Mechanism: GEF is a financial mechanism for five major international environmental conventions: 
  • Minamata Convention on Mercury
  • Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants(POPs), 
  • United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity(UNCBD), 
  • United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification(UNCCD) 
  • United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).