Regional presence

Decision on regional presence

The Green Climate Fund is the world's largest multilateral climate fund dedicated to developing countries. GCF was established following the Cancun COP in 2010 as an operating entity of the financial mechanism of the UNFCCC and serves the Paris Agreement. GCF supports global climate ambition by focusing on transformative systems change and delivering impact at scale across developing countries.

GCF currently manages a portfolio of USD 18 billion of climate finance in support of the transition to low emission, climate resilient societies. GCF works through a network of over 150 entity partners to deliver 300 projects across more than 130 developing countries.

Headquartered in Songdo, Republic of Korea, since 2013, GCF aims to drive significantly more impact by being in much closer proximity to its developing country partners and stakeholders. At its forty-first meeting (B.41) the GCF Board took the strategic decision to establish a regional presence (B.41/10).

’The GCF Board at its B.44 meeting took a further decision in relation to regional presence, including selecting locations for regional offices. The decision recognises that headquarters located in Songdo, Republic of Korea will cover East, Southeast and South Asia, and provides for regional offices or locations as follows:

Latin America and the Caribbean, located in Panama City, Panama;
Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East, located in Amman, Jordan;
Africa: a regional office operating across two locations:
1. East and Southern Africa: Nairobi, Kenya and
2. Central, North and West Africa: Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire;
Pacific: a sub-regional office covering the Pacific, located in Suva, Fiji

For further details, see the GCF press release on the B.44 meeting.

Call for proposals to host GCF regional presence

Following the adoption of the terms of reference for selecting host countries/cities at its forty-second meeting (B.42/14), the GCF Secretariat is pleased to launch a call for proposals to host GCF regional offices.

Non-Annex I Parties to the UNFCCC with cities classified as A or B per the International Civil Service Commission hardship classification are invited to submit proposals to host GCF regional offices and an outpost by 19 September 2025.

The objective is to select an initial set of host countries/cities in which to establish regional offices and an outpost as part of GCF regional presence.

Proposals will be assessed based on eligibility and evaluation criteria outlined in the terms of reference.

Key dates

To facilitate planning and effective coordination of the selection process, countries that intend to submit a proposal are kindly requested to notify the Secretariat of their intention to do so by 15 August 2025.
Final proposals must be submitted by 19 September 2025.

Submission instructions

Proposals should be submitted via email to regionalpresence@gcfund.org
Please refer to the Terms of Reference for the selection of the host countries/cities for GCF regional presence and the submission form for detailed guidance.

For further information

This sample Host Country Agreement (HCA) template outlines the legal framework for establishing a GCF Regional Office or an Outpost in a country that does not yet have a privileges and immunities agreement with GCF.

This template serves as a foundational, necessary, legal instrument to facilitate GCF’s expansion and operational effectiveness in new regions, ensuring alignment with its Governing Instrument, the GCF risk appetite statement, and international standards.

Note that this template is for reference only at this stage and should not be completed / submitted as part of the submission process. The template is provided so that countries submitting bids have an indication as to what the Host Country Agreement would entail. The process of concluding a Host Country Agreement, which countries are required to commit to as part of the regional presence bid eligibility criteria, would start only when countries have been selected to host GCF Regional Presence.

Who to contact

Should you have any questions, please reach out to regionalpresence@gcfund.org.

Information session on GCF regional presence

Information session on GCF regional presence - Day 1

Information session on GCF regional presence - Day 2

Information session on GCF regional presence - Day 3