Context

As the Green Climate Fund (GCF) embarks on the development of its third Updated Strategic Plan (USP-3) for 2028–2031, which will guide the Fund’s strategic priorities, programming focus, and institutional evolution, it is committed to ensuring that its future strategic direction is shaped by an inclusive, transparent, and comprehensive consultation process.

The Fund therefore invites all stakeholders—including, but not limited to, GCF Board Members, National Designated Authorities, Accredited Entities, Direct Access Entities, civil society organisations, the private sector, parties to the UNFCCC and other climate finance partners—to participate in this public call for inputs. The guiding questions below are designed to capture perspectives on how the GCF can best adapt to evolving climate needs and optimise its investments and operations to maximise impact and become a partner of choice for its diverse stakeholders. The insights received will inform the design of GCF’s next Strategic Plan, which will be finalized by the GCF Board in 2027.

Instructions for responding

• Submission: To ensure that responses are considered in the USP-3 design process, they must be submitted by 23:59 UTC on May 20, 2026, in a Word/PDF format to strategy@gcfund.org. While the Secretariat may be able to consider late submissions, it cannot be guaranteed that they will be taken into account.
• Identification:
  • The official submission should clearly indicate the following: Full name, title/position; organization/affiliation; contact details including e-mail address; and organization’s focal point (name, surname and position).
  • Submissions should indicate whether the inputs are provided on behalf of an organization or a group of organizations. In the case where the inputs are provided on behalf of a group of organizations, the list of organizations should be included in the official submission of inputs.
• Scope and length of responses: Submissions may address all of the questions below, or select only those most relevant to respondent experience, expertise, and priorities. While there is no page limit for submissions, to facilitate the review and synthesis of all feedback, concise responses are encouraged, utilising bullet points format where possible.
• Public disclosure: Please be advised that all submissions will be made publicly available on the GCF website. Therefore, submissions should not include any confidential, proprietary, or sensitive information.

Guiding questions

1. Please share experience and feedback on the design and implementation of the GCF’s 2nd Updated Strategic Plan (2024-2027), including its focus areas and targets. 
2. Which global, regional and national trends and evolving country needs and priorities should the GCF take into account in the development of its Updated Strategic Plan? How can it better adopt to and align with those trends to ensure country ownership and enhanced direct access to climate finance for developing countries? 
3. What should be the primary programming priorities and focus areas for the GCF in its next programming period to maximize its climate impact? 
4. How should the GCF evolve its operational processes and institutional capacities to maximise efficiency, access and impact, and become a partner of choice for developing countries, Accredited Entities, in particular Direct Access Entities, and other partners? 
5. Which operational modalities, financial instruments, and/or innovative approaches should the GCF implement or scale up to enhance its impact in the next strategic period? 
6. How can the GCF strengthen its Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme (RPSP) to more effectively build institutional capacities and foster enabling environments for climate investment? 
7. How can the GCF strengthen its Project Preparation Facility (PPF) to more effectively support the development of a robust pipeline of high-quality, bankable climate projects? 
8. What strategies or approaches should the GCF adopt to mobilize private sector capital for climate action at scale?  
9. What strategies or approaches should the GCF adopt best support the most climate-vulnerable countries and communities?  
10. Considering the evolving climate finance landscape and other sources of climate finance available, what should the GCF focus on to deliver the greatest impact over the next strategic period 2028-2031?  
11. Are there any other comments or considerations for the development of the GCF’s 3rd Updated Strategic Plan?