The Conference of the Parties,
Recalling decision 3/CP.17, annex,
1. Welcomes the reports of the Green Climate Fund to the Conference of the Parties at its twenty-sixth session, including the list of actions taken by the Board of the Green Climate Fund (hereinafter referred to as the Board) in response to guidance received from the Conference of the Parties;
2. Also welcomes the continued efforts of the Green Climate Fund to make a significant and ambitious contribution to the global effort to meet the goals set by the international community in relation to combating climate change;
3. Further welcomes the progress of the Green Climate Fund in 2020–2021, including in relation to guidance provided by the Conference of the Parties:
(a) The increase in the number of funding proposals approved, which brings the total amount approved by the Board to USD 10 billion to support implementation of 190 adaptation and mitigation projects and programmes in 127 developing countries;
(b) The increase in the number of entities accredited by the Board, which brings the total number of accredited entities to 112, of which 72 are direct access entities;
(c) The approval of its Updated Strategic Plan for 2020–2023, Integrated Results Management Framework and a results tracking tool;
(d) The revision of its environmental and social policy to reaffirm its commitment to preventing sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and sexual harassment; administrative remedies and exclusions policy; and guidelines to facilitate consideration by the Board of Independent Redress Mechanism reports on requests for reconsideration, grievances and complaints;
(e) The approval of its evaluation policy;
(f) The continued collaboration between the Green Climate Fund, the Climate Technology Centre and Network and the Technology Executive Committee;
(g) The collaboration between the Green Climate Fund, the Adaptation Committee and the Least Developed Countries Expert Group;
4. Welcomes the long-term vision on complementarity, coherence and collaboration between the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility and requests the Board to enhance coherence and complementarity with other climate finance delivery channels with a view to enhancing the impact and effectiveness of its work;
5. Encourages further collaboration and engagement between the Green Climate Fund, the Climate Technology Centre and Network and the Technology Executive Committee, through continued joint work, as well as collaboration on events, and taking into consideration elements related to gender mainstreaming and observer engagement;
6. Reiterates the request to the Board to continue efforts to maintain the balance in the allocation of resources between adaptation and mitigation;
7. Encourages the Board to further clarify the role of data and information from, inter alia, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and traditional, local and indigenous knowledge and practices in the assessment of concept notes, project preparation funding applications and funding proposals;
8. Also encourages the Board to strengthen country ownership and regional management by proactively engaging national designated authorities in all aspects of the project and programme cycle;
9. Takes note of the exceptional circumstances of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and its significant impact on the implementation of the Board’s updated four-year workplan, recognizes the Board’s efforts during that period and encourages the Board to continue to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its work;
10. Takes note of the continued efforts of the Board to provide financial resources for activities relevant to averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage in developing country Parties consistent with the existing investment, results framework and funding windows and structures of the Green Climate Fund, including through the Project Preparation Facility and the Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme;
11. Notes the significant number of remaining policy gaps, including updating the accreditation framework to include approving the project-specific assessment approach, updating the simplified approval process, approving the policy on programmatic approaches, completing policies related to the investment framework, and addressing matters related to the Private Sector Facility and strategy, as well as outstanding matters from the rules of procedure of the Board, and urges the Board to prioritize closing the policy gaps as a matter of urgency and to explore diversifying its selection of financial instruments for addressing climate risk including parametric insurance for climatic events;
12. Takes note of the engagement of the President of the Conference of the Parties on the matter of granting privileges and immunities for the Green Climate Fund and its officials and invites the Board to continue efforts to ensure that the Fund enjoys privileges and immunities as are necessary;
13. Urges the Board to finalize in a timely manner its work related to the guidance and arrangements of the Conference of the Parties on financing for forests and alternative approaches as mandated by decision 7/CP.21, paragraphs 23–25;
14. Encourages the Board to continue the integration of gender considerations into its activities, including through its gender policy and by promoting gender balance across the structures of the Fund;
15. Invites the Board to consider ways of improving access to the Fund for local non-governmental and private sector organizations;
16. Also invites Parties to submit to the secretariat views and recommendations on elements of guidance for the Green Climate Fund via the submission portal5 no later than 10 weeks prior to the twenty-seventh session of the Conference of the Parties (November 2022);
17. Requests the Standing Committee on Finance to take into consideration the submissions referred to in paragraph 16 above when preparing its draft guidance for the Green Climate Fund for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its twenty-seventh session and the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement at its fourth session (November 2022);
18. Also requests the Board of the Green Climate Fund to include in its annual report to the Conference of the Parties information on the steps it has taken to implement the guidance provided in this decision;
19. Takes note of decision 11/CMA.3 and decides to transmit to the Green Climate Fund the guidance from the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement contained in paragraphs 2–8 of that decision.
