The Group of Friends of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in the Republic of Korea (ROK) gathered for its fifth meeting on 24 August 2023 in the GCF Liaison Centre in Seoul. In total, 35 diplomatic representatives of GCF partner countries attended the meeting that was chaired by the Embassy of Pakistan. They welcomed GCF’s newly appointed Executive Director, Mafalda Duarte, and received an update on the Fund’s activities.

The Ambassador of Pakistan to the Republic of Korea, H.E. Ambassador Nabeel Munir, chair of the meeting, recalled the urgency to act collectively in the face of the climate crisis and to support the most vulnerable communities in the Global South. He reiterated the importance of GCF’s second replenishment (GCF-2), which will culminate in the High-Level Pledging Conference taking place on 5 October 2023 in Bonn, Germany.  

H.E. Ambassador Nabeel Munir stated: “GCF is in a privileged position within the global climate finance architecture. It has steadily evolved and matured as an organisation, with its work concentrated on assisting developing countries in taking ambitious climate action.” 

The Deputy Head of Mission at the United States Embassy in Seoul, Joy Sakurai, confirmed the United States’ commitment to GCF’s mission and shared the results of the 36th meeting of the GCF Board that is co-chaired by Pakistan and the United States this year. She welcomed GCF’s new strategic plan that sends a strong message about the importance of GCF access for the most vulnerable countries and the need to mobilise private sector climate finance at scale. 

Mafalda Duarte thanked the representatives for the warm welcome and for their continuous support to the Fund. In introducing herself, she shared her personal dedication to the Fund’s mission and highlighted GCF’s recently adopted strategic plan for GCF-2 (2024-2027), as well as her priorities for the next period. She emphasised her dedication to streamlining access to ensure climate finance reaches those on the frontlines suffering from the impact of the climate crisis. She thanked all contributors for their support, especially those who made frontrunner pledges for GCF-2, and she looked forward to seeing contributors at the pledging conference in October.

The remarks were followed by a series of statements from countries highlighting their climate action commitments, as well as a question-and-answer session.  

Diplomatic missions represented: Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Serbia, Slovenia, Sudan, Tajikistan, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam, and Zambia. A representative of the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also participated in the meeting.