The Conference of the Parties,
Recalling decisions 3/CP.4, 2.CP.12, 1/CP.16, 2/CP.16 and 8/CP.19,
Welcoming the progress made by the Board of the Green Climate Fund in operationalizing the Green Climate Fund,
Noting that the fifth review of the Financial Mechanism focused on the Global Environment Facility owing to the fact that the Green Climate Fund is still developing its operations and that therefore it was premature to review many aspects of the Green Climate Fund,
1. Welcomes with appreciation the expert input to the fifth review of the Financial Mechanism provided by the Standing Committee on Finance, contained in the technical paper referred to in paragraph 3 below;
2. Encourages the Standing Committee on Finance to build on the same methodology and criteria in future reviews of the Financial Mechanism;
3. Acknowledges the executive summary of the technical paper on the fifth review1 , as contained in the annex, including the conclusions and recommendations made by the Standing Committee on Finance;
4. Encourages the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism to address, as appropriate, these recommendations in their future work, particularly with regard to the complementarity between the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism;
5. Recognizes the general positive assessment of the performance of the Global Environment Facility;
6. Notes, however, that the least developed countries and small island developing States still experience challenges in accessing the resources from the Global Environment Facility;
7. Decides to consider the timing of guidance provided by the Conference of the Parties to the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism, especially that guidance which has resource implications vis-à-vis the replenishment cycles of the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism, in order to ensure that key guidance is fully considered in the programming strategies and policy recommendations associated with each replenishment period of the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism;
8. Also decides to initiate the sixth review of the Financial Mechanism at its twentysecond session (November 2016), in accordance with the criteria contained in the guidelines annexed to decision 8/CP.19, or as these guidelines may be subsequently amended;
9. Requests the Standing Committee on Finance to provide expert input to the sixth review of the Financial Mechanism in 2017 with a view to the review being completed by the Conference of the Parties at its twenty-third session (November 2017).
Annex
Executive summary of the technical paper on the fifth review of the Financial Mechanism
II. Key insights, conclusions and possible recommendations
A. Governance
3. Gender-sensitive approaches
15. The sub-study on gender mainstreaming made in the context of the fifth overall performance study of the GEF found that the GEF secretariat had made significant efforts to implement a gender mainstreaming policy, while there was scope for improvement in the application of the policy by GEF agencies. In addition, the policy recommendation of the sixth replenishment period of the GEF on further work on gender mainstreaming emphasized that more concerted efforts need to be made in order to enhance gender mainstreaming within the GEF. Accordingly, the GEF secretariat is currently developing a Gender Action Plan, which will identify ways to enhance gender mainstreaming, including the use of relevant gender-sensitive indicators and sex-disaggregated data. The Action Plan will be presented to the GEF Council in October 2014.
16. In the light of the provisions of its governing instrument to take a Fund-wide “gender-sensitive approach”, the GCF has committed to integrating gender considerations in its procedures and operational modalities. At its seventh meeting, the GCF Board approved an initial results management framework with provisions for sex-disaggregated indicators, including initial criteria for assessing programmes and projects proposals that include gender aspects. The GCF secretariat is currently preparing a draft gender action policy and action plan for consideration by the Board at its meeting in October 2014.
Conclusion and recommendation
17. The GEF has made considerable progress in mainstreaming gender into its activities. Since there is scope for improvement, an action plan is to be approved by the GEF Council in October 2014 and the results of this progress are expected to be reflected in the programmes and projects of the GEF.
18. In developing its own approach to gender mainstreaming, the GCF could build on the experience of the GEF. It is recommended that gender equality be integrated in the structure and organization of the GCF itself, and that gender-sensitive criteria be taken into account in funding approvals of the Fund.
To read the full annex, see the link here.
