More Suggestions on The Process Raised

Being a fund established within UNFCCC, the Green Climate Fund operates as a funding mechanism to support developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change. However, over the years, voices from developing countries and Civil society organizations have been echoing hard and complicated processes and protocols in accessing the funds.

Transparency and bureaucracy are among the other challenges raised by African non-state actors on the GCF and its operationalization. At the sideline of the Africa Climate Summit, the African non-state actors held an open dialogue to develop a road map for a more robust non-state actors-led climate engagement, accountability, and transparency action on GCF issues in Africa.

Mr Charles Mwangi, Head of Programmes and Research, PACJA indicated that the long-standing observations of Non-state actors were that the fund is not serving its purpose and that existing mechanisms to access the fund remain uneasy.

The Executive Director of GCF agreed that she has been listening to the complexity of the process of accessing the resources and intimated that this is the time for a change of the process.  “It’s important to listen to CSOs on what they are doing as they are they have a big task of being the voices of the community. This is the best moment to simplify the process and we need to agree that something has to be done,” said Mafalda Duarte, the Executive Director of GCF.

Non-state Actors said that GCF’s portfolio in Africa is skewed towards mitigation, despite the importance of adaptation for the continent. And recommended that it should provide better and targeted support to Nationally Designated authorities.

They also recommended that the fund should place the highest emphasis on the local private sector, especially MSMEs, in all its policies and operations and improve the implementation of its gender policy as well.

The GCF Executive director emphasized the need to be more deliberate in understanding who is the most vulnerable and how we reach them.

 “In the recently approved strategy, there is a part for a direct access entity which makes access easier. The strategy aims to cover funds for NDCs, build the capacities of organizations, and also have programs that bring forward projects that can benefit from GCF funds. We have a big task for the next programming cycle, and time is against us,” informed Mafalda Duarte.

It was highlighted that the GCF portfolio has shown limited consideration of local needs and priorities in adaptation planning and programming by IAEs and regional DAEs. Furthermore, the direct access modality’s importance in improving access to climate finance for sub-national priorities and adaptation actions was highlighted as another challenge among many others.