B.19/08: Policies related to the approval of funding proposals: Review of the structure and effectiveness of the independent Technical Advisory Panel
The Board, having considered document GCF/B.19/03/Rev.01 titled “Review of the structure and effectiveness of the independent Technical Advisory Panel”:
- Takes note with appreciation of the analysis and recommendations presented in the document;
- Requests the Secretariat, as soon as is possible, to expedite the arrangements for a roster of experts to be drawn together, with the necessary sectoral and regional expertise, for use by the independent Technical Advisory Panel in the review of funding proposals;
- Also requests the Secretariat, in consultation with the independent Technical Advisory Panel, to develop a proposal, as requested in decision B.18/06, paragraph (c) (ii), to accommodate the increase in funding proposals from the simplified approval process through, inter alia, the use of the roster of experts and elaboration of a simplified approval process-specific timeline;
- Further requests the Secretariat, in consultation with the independent Technical Advisory Panel and the Budget Committee, to present by the twentieth meeting of the Board an analysis of options to accommodate the increased workload resulting from the higher number of funding proposals being processed, and an updated budget proposal consistent with such options;
- Allocates USD 250,000 for use by the independent Technical Advisory Panel on an exceptional basis, and as a temporary measure, until such a decision relating to paragraph (d) is taken, to increase the capacity of the independent Technical Advisory Panel, as noted in paragraphs (b) and (c) above;
- Requests the independent Technical Advisory Panel, with the support of the Secretariat and the Investment Committee, to improve its internal structures and processes to ensure more coherence, the establishment of formal procedures, and the efficient use of time and resources, and to report to the Board on the progress made by the twentieth meeting of the Board;
- Also requests the independent Technical Advisory Panel, with the support of the Secretariat, to develop a more comprehensive review template, ensuring that investment criteria and subcriteria are addressed consistently, using the appropriate metrics relevant for the sector and the investment criteria guidelines, when available;
- Further requests the Secretariat and the independent Technical Advisory Panel to implement a periodic quality assurance process of the independent Technical Advisory Panel’s assessments, and report back to the Board by its twentieth meeting;
- Requests the Secretariat and the independent Technical Advisory Panel to agree on and implement, on a pilot basis, a new review cycle that allows for longer review times by the independent Technical Advisory Panel and the provision of its inputs at an earlier stage in the approval process, consistent with the updated project and programme cycle as set up in annex IV to decision B.17/09;
- Also requests the Secretariat to consult with the independent Technical Advisory Panel when developing sectoral guidance for projects and programmes; and
- Decides to review the composition of the independent Technical Advisory Panel, defined in paragraph 11 of the terms of reference, upon the finalization of policies related to the proposal approval process, and based on the resource needs arising from the review of funding proposals and the support in the development of sectoral guidance.