A gas discharge lamp fitted with a gas discharge vessel filled with a gas filling is suitable for a gas discharge which emits VUV radiation, with a luminophore coating containing a down conversion luminophore and with means for igniting and maintaining a gas discharge in which the down conversion luminophore has in a host lattice a pair of activators of the a first lanthanoid ion and a second lanthanoid ion and a sensitizer selected from the group of the copper (I) ion, silver (I) ion, gold (I) ion, zinc (II) ion, gallium (III) ion, indium (III) ion, thallium (III) ion, germanium (IV) ion, tin (IV) ion and lead (IV) ion, is environmentally friendly and has a high lamp efficiency &eegr;lamp. The invention also concerns a down conversion luminophore which in a host lattice has a pair of activators of a first lanthanoid ion and a second lanthanoid ion and a sensitizer selected from the group of the copper (I) ion, silver (I) ion, gold (I) ion, zinc (II) ion, gallium (III) ion, indium (III) ion, thallium (III) ion, germanium (IV) ion, tin (IV) ion and lead (IV) ion.