Thank you for your interest in our recent GCF Unpacked webinar, ‘GCF B.36 Unpacked with GCF insight #22’. Welcome to your replay kit.
On Thursday 27 July, we held our latest independent analysis of the Green Climate Fund’s Thirty-sixth Meeting of the Board (B.36). Our Founder, Dr Grant Ballard-Tremeer, sat down with E Co. consultant, Paula Guillaumet, and unpacked this latest event, sharing insights on key developments, re-accreditations, approved projects, and the overall strategy that the GCF will be taking over the next year. Paula attended B.36 in Songdo, South Korea, and so brought back first-hand experiences to talk about.
We were also joined by Executive director and Private sector observer to the board, Margaret-Ann Splawn, who also attended B.36 and added her unique takes on proceedings to this event.
Also joining the conversation was E Co. Head of Marketing, Mariella de Souza-Baker, who provided a concise exploration of our twenty-third GCF insight report, ‘GCF insight #23: Climate change adaptation in Green Climate Fund project development’. This latest report explores what avenues the Green Climate Fund (GCF) can pursue in order to increase the amount of funding for adaptation projects, and consists of analysis taken from survey questions and semi-structured interviews with climate and development professionals – with responses from project developers, National Designated Authorities, Accredited Entities, consultants, CSOs, and those working on GCF project and programme development.
You might have missed out on this great event, but don’t worry, as this replay kit includes the original even content, plus more downloads and information. Explore these below.
- Session content and downloads
- Watch the ‘GCF B.36 Unpacked with GCF insight #23’ webinar
- Questions & answers
- Training & updates from E Co. institute
Session content and downloads
GCF insight #23
Head of Marketing, Mariella de Souza-Baker, takes us through our latest GCF insight report in a portion of this webinar. The report, ‘GCF insight #23: Climate change adaptation in Green Climate Fund project development’, is a concise and useful report that includes the thoughts and opinions of key stakeholders, who share their ideas on how adaptation challenges can better be met within GCF project development.
Adaptation was also a key focus at GCF B.36, and so this report is especially pertinent to current conversations within climate finance.
You can download Mariella’s slides here.
Download the full GCF insight #23 report here.
GCF B.36
In this portion of the webinar, Dr Grant Ballard-Tremeer, Paula Guillaumet, and Margaret-Ann Splawn discussed the key elements that comprised GCF B.36, alongside first-hand experiences that both Paula and Margaret-Ann had while attending the event.
Download the slides for this presentation here. Keep scrolling to watch the webinar.
Watch the ‘GCF B.36 Unpacked with GCF insight #23’ webinar
Questions & answers
With some DAEs failing to get a project through – does this throw up the risk of not getting reaccredited in the future? Would their reaccreditation have to rely on their track record in non-GCF projects?
When we’ve worked with Direct Access Entities and the reaccreditation process, we’ve found that having a ‘track record’ is important – a history of mobilising projects. However, we do sense that the GCF are going to be quite understanding on this element.
There is a long process when it comes to seeking accreditation, and then, when you’re finally accredited, there is real struggle for getting projects over the line. We like to think of it as akin to a ‘false peak’ – where you believe you’re reaching the top of the mountain, but when you get to the perceived top, there is another peak sitting behind it that you couldn’t see.
When you consider the GCF’s new accreditation strategy, which is to increase the number of DAEs, you have to consider the amount of support required. Potential DAEs require support from a National Designated Authority to even become an AE, and when that has happened, the DAE or AE will have to work to a ‘Workplan’ – and that can take a year or two years, time which comes before you actually present a proposal to the GCF Board. At this moment in time, it does not quite feel like this process is as simple as it could be, according to the voices of those in the process of becoming reaccredited.
One thing we must state though, is that just because a DAE has no projects approved does not mean that they are inactive. Many DAEs will have things such as readiness and PPF, as there are many windows for access, but while there are these windows, it does take a long time for a small agency to reach funding. Often, it’s not just a long time for these DAEs, it’s also resources and money that must be considered. There are many costs, such as knowledge, capacity, etc., that have to be accounted for on both sides.
What has been the average number of projects that the GCF approves per sitting?
The number of projects that gets approved depends greatly on the amount of funding available, and so every board meeting usually has a different numbers of projects receiving approval. This is referred to as the ‘commitment authority’, and as of March 1 2023, this was USD 628 million (which does not include the co-financing available).
Over the last ten GCF board meetings, there has been real variety in terms of the number of projects approved:
- B.36 – 12 projects approved.
- B.35 – 7 projects approved.
- B.34 – 9 projects approved.
- B.33 – 4 projects approved.
- B.32 – 4 projects approved.
- B.31 – 2 projects approved.
- B.30 – 13 projects approved.
- B.29 – 4 projects approved.
- B.28 – 15 projects approved.
- B.27 – 16 projects approved.
- B.26 – 15 projects approved.
Training & updates from E Co. institute
E Co. institute is the training division of E Co. and is run by our project formulation experts. E Co. institute builds on our experience developing low-carbon, climate-resilient projects & programmes and the specialist training workshops we’ve conducted across the globe. Our trainings, coaching, and courses are intended for mid-level professionals working in UN agencies, NGOs, bilateral organisations, development banks, and local or country government officials. For more information, see here for how we can help you and your team.
- If you’re interested in learning more about E Co. institute‘s bespoke training services for you and your team, you can email Dr Grant Ballard-Tremeer at: grant@ecoltdgroup.com and we’ll be happy to arrange a 30-minute call with our consultants to discuss this further.
- To receive an invitation to future training sessions with E Co. institute, please sign up to our newsletter here. If you had registered for this workshop, you won’t need to sign up – we have your details and you can opt at any time.
About these resources
These resources are an initiative of E Co., emerging from work we are doing to develop low-carbon, climate-resilient projects. E Co. has produced the resources independently.