Philippines gets ready to access the Green Climate Fund
GIZ, through the SupportCCC II project, participated in the Philippines’ first Green Climate Fund (GCF) Orientation and Prioritization Tool Inception Workshop to advance understanding and coordination of GCF financing activities in the country.
The workshop was organized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the country’s National Designated Authority (NDA) for the GCF, to provide an overview of GCF’s objectives and activities; convene public, private, and civil society stakeholders for the identification of priority sectors and the enhancement of the GCF project prioritization criteria; and ensure alignment of the projects with national development objectives, such as the Philippine Development Plan or the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions. As the NDA for the GCF, the DENR acts as the interface between the Philippines and the GCF, and must approve all GCF project activities in the country.
At the workshop were representatives of the Departments of Energy, Agriculture, and Agrarian Reform; Forest Management Bureau; National Economic and Development Authority; PAGASA; other development organizations such as the FAO, UNDP, and CIAD; and civil society.
Also elaborated at the workshop were the process and requirements of the GCF Readiness Program funded by BMUB and implemented by UNDP, WRI, and UNEP. The program will support the empowerment of the DENR; select national and sub-national entities for direct access; prioritize climate change projects/programs; and support the preparation of a public-private partnership modality to implement climate mitigation/adaptation actions.
The Land Bank of the Philippines has been nominated as the program’s National Implementing Entity, but other entities have expressed interest in being accredited.
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a new global fund created to support the efforts of developing countries to respond to the challenge of climate change. GCF helps developing countries limit or reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to climate change. It seeks to promote a paradigm shift to low-emission and climate-resilient development, taking into account the needs of nations that are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts.
It was set up by the 194 countries who are parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2010, as part of the Convention’s financial mechanism. It aims to deliver equal amounts of funding to mitigation and adaptation, while being guided by the Convention’s principles and provisions.
Author: Scarlett Apfelbacher
