Policies and strategies

Governance

Policies and strategies

As part of its mandate, the GCF Board approves specific operational policies and guidelines, including for programming, project cycle, administration, and financial management. The Board also approves strategies, which guide the overall direction of Fund operations. Together, these strategies and policies establish the framework for implementation of the GCF’s Governing Instrument.

The main GCF policy frameworks, aligned with the Governing Instrument and strategies, are shown in this diagram.

Governing instrument

The Governing Instrument for the Green Climate Fund was approved by the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at its seventeenth session on 11 December 2011 in Durban, South Africa.

Governing Instrument

Policies, strategies, and guidelines

11 Dec 2011

  • PDF

Strategic plan and other strategies

In advance of the second Replenishment period the Board updated its Strategic Plan for 2024-2027 at B.36, setting out the major programming directions and operational and institutional priorities for GCF-2. GCF’s initial Strategic Plan was adopted in 2016 for the Initial Resource Mobilization period (2015-2019) and was then updated in 2020 for the GCF first replenishment period (2020-2023).

  • Strategic plans

    1. Strategic Plan for the Green Climate Fund 2024–2027

      Adopted by decision B.36/13 (a). Sets out the major programming directions and operational and institutional priorities for GCF-2 period.

    2. Updated Strategic Plan for the Green Climate Fund 2020-2023

      Adopted by decision B.27/06. Sets out the funding allocation parameters and guidelines from B.27 onwards for the GCF-1 period.

    3. Initial strategic plan for the GCF

      Adopted by decision B.12/20. The strategic plan sets out the Board’s strategic vision for GCF, as well as core operational priorities.

  • Strategies

    1. Private sector strategy

      The Board adopted at B.32 the Private Sector Strategy, which sets out the four pillars through which the GCF aims to catalyze private climate finance in a country-driven manner to meet developing countries’ needs and the objectives of the Updated Strategic Plan.

    2. Guidance on adaptation

      The Board welcomed at B.33 the Guidance on adaptation which speaks to the GCF’s vision, strategic approach, and scope for supporting adaptation programming, and how the GCF aims to deliver this through its range of modalities that support adaptation activities.

    3. Accreditation strategy

      The Board adopted at with decision B.34/19 the Accreditation Strategy, which clarifies the GCF operating model and guides the evolution of the GCF network of AEs in order to deliver on the GCF’s mandate, objectives and programming directions.

    4. Readiness strategy 2024-2027

      The Board adopted at B.37 the Readiness Strategy 2024-2027, which presents the revised strategy for the Readiness Programme that continues to serve as a critical instrument in fulfilling the GCF’s strategic vision and ambition.

Policies

GCF policy frameworks generally include a mix of top-level policies adopted by the Board to govern a specific subject matter, the related Board decisions which adopt the policies and may contain additional policy provisions, and other policy instruments (such as standards or guidelines) which further elaborate how policies should be operationalised.

Browse the policies in each framework through the links below:

Browse policies and strategies