Belém, Brazil — Today, in a major step forward to align global support and investments with national priorities, 14 developing countries and regions announced plans to develop country or regional platforms for climate and nature finance. The platforms are planned to be supported through the Green Climate Fund’s (GCF) Readiness Programme.

At a moment when climate impacts are accelerating and global finance is falling short, this represents a significant and coordinated effort to support countries in leading the planning, financing, and delivery of their own climate action. The platforms will help governments turn national priorities into investable pipelines, deploy finance more effectively, and speed up the implementation of projects and policies. 

The new Country Platforms are being announced in coordination with GCF, with the intention that they will be supported under its Readiness Programme - the largest climate action capacity-building facility for developing countries. GCF funds already support two existing platforms, the Brazil Country Platform and the Caribbean Regional Platform.1

Mafalda Duarte, Executive Director, Green Climate Fund, said:

“Country platforms represent a strategic opportunity for countries to bring the whole of government, the private sector, and development partners around one process to identify priority policies and investments as well as align public and private finance, international and domestic. The Green Climate Fund is proud to be a partner of choice in bringing these platforms to life through our Readiness Programme - the largest climate-focused institutional strengthening and technical assistance programme in the world. What began with Brazil’s platform is now expanding into a network of nearly 20 GCF-supported platforms worldwide. And we’re ready to work with other countries that wish to take this step.”

Country Platforms are strategic, country-driven mechanisms that translate climate priorities into programmatic investment approaches. They replace a fragmented project approach and help coordinate the different public and private, international and local stakeholders. This creates catalytic effects and aligns financing flows and policies with the climate agenda defined by the country. 

The announcement was made at a high-level ministerial event during COP30, co-hosted by Brazil’s Ministry of Finance and GCF. The launch event, “Delivering Climate Solutions through Country Platforms,” brought together ministers and other senior government officials as well as international, national, public, and private climate finance leaders. 

Announcing their country and regional platforms, representatives from the African Islands States Climate Commission (AISCC), Cambodia, Colombia, India, Kazakhstan, Lesotho, Mongolia, Nigeria, Oman, Panama, Rwanda, the Dominican Republic, Togo, and South Africa shared their vision and strategies for leveraging Country Platforms to accelerate climate action. This brings the number of platforms to 16, with the previously established Brazil Country Platform and Caribbean Regional Platform.

Mansur Oshurbayev, Vice-Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan commented:

“The launch of the Kazakhstan Country Platform with GCF support marks our strategic response to the climate challenge. We are moving from fragmented initiatives to a systemic approach in which reforms, investments, and projects are integrated into a single national architecture for climate development. This Platform establishes a solid foundation for coordinated action among ministries, institutions, and sub-national and local actors - aimed at advancing priority climate reforms and mobilising investment packages essential for the energy transition and for achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.”

To support the launch and implementation of the Country Platforms, representatives of Brazil, Uganda, and the V20 Group also announced the establishment of a new Country Platform Hub2. The Hub will facilitate connections to technical and financial partners, continuous learning, best-practice sharing, and peer exchange amongst developing countries, supporting governments to design, implement, and scale Country Platforms.

GCF supports the Country Platform Hub concept and is working with Brazil and Uganda, the inaugural Co-Chairs of the Hub, to identify possible avenues and provide assistance within GCF funding windows.

 

NOTES TO EDITORS

About the Green Climate Fund: 
GCF is the world’s climate fund for developing countries, mobilising and delivering capital at scale, strengthening institutions and supporting transformative change and bringing together an extensive partnership network to deliver impact. GCF is mandated as the primary operating entity of the financial mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and serves the 2015 Paris Agreement. To fulfil its role in supporting global climate ambition, GCF is focused on delivering high-impact climate finance at scale, underpinned by a country-owned approach focused on system-wide change. The fund has over USD 19 billion committed across 134 developing countries through a wide range of adaptation and mitigation projects.

https://www.greenclimate.fund/

Find out more about the country platforms: here

 

SELECTED QUOTES FROM COUNTRIES ANNOUNCING COUNTRY PLATFORMS

Cambodia
Eang Sophalleth, Minister of Environment
“Cambodia has been at the forefront of climate action in the region, advancing policies and initiatives to protect our people, ecosystems, and sustainable development gains from the growing threats of climate change. The establishment of Cambodia’s Country Platform marks an important milestone in strengthening national coordination and mobilizing climate finance to turn our ambitions into action. This platform will help us identify and implement transformative projects, enhance partnerships, and ensure that climate investments truly benefit our communities".

Colombia
Natalia Irene Molina Posso, Director General of the National Planning Department
“For Colombia, climate finance is not only about funding projects — it is about empowering transformation. It is about driving innovation, protecting our biodiversity, and ensuring that every peso, every dollar, becomes an investment in the sustainable future that our territories and our people deserve. Colombia stands firm in its commitment to strengthening the Climate Finance Broker Facility (CFBF) — the technical and operational backbone of our Country Platform for Climate Finance. With the steadfast partnership of the Green Climate Fund, we are determined to transform this mechanism into a dynamic bridge that connects public, private, and international actors around a shared purpose: mobilizing finance at scale.”

Guinea-Bissau
Viriato Luís Soares Cassamá, Minister of Environment, Biodiversity, and Climate Action
“We highly value the partnership and support of the Green Climate Fund, whose engagement has been instrumental in advancing the African Islands States Climate Commission (AISCC)’s flagship RESIslands Initiative, implemented by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and in catalyzing transformative pathways for our island nations. 

Building on this strong foundation, the AISCC member States have also endorsed the Regional Co-Investment Platform for Climate Finance and Blue Economy as the next AISCC flagship initiative, to be developed with the support of the GCF and implemented by UNECA. 

This initiative aims to mobilize and coordinate investment for integrated climate and ocean-based solutions across African island states. The Guinea-Bissau Pathway for African Island States reaffirms the centrality of such collaboration in achieving the ambitions of the African Island States and calls for deepened engagement between AISCC Member States and the GCF toward enhanced climate investment and implementation.”

Kazakhstan     
Mansur Oshurbayev, Vice-Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources
“The launch of the Kazakhstan Country Platform with GCF support marks our strategic response to the climate challenge. We are moving from fragmented initiatives to a systemic approach in which reforms, investments, and projects are integrated into a single national architecture for climate development. This Platform establishes a solid foundation for coordinated action among ministries, institutions, and sub-national and local actors - aimed at advancing priority climate reforms and mobilising investment packages essential for the energy transition and for achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.”

Lesotho 
Samuel Matekane, Prime Minister
“My government, working under His Majesty King Letsie III’s initiative and leadership, has strongly supported the establishment HMKLIII Just Energy Transition Ltd:  a government endorsed private-sector led country platform designed to support the delivery of Lesotho’s M300 Compact, NDC and wider national ambitions. The HMKLIII JET Fund is an innovative model structured to partner with international investors and develop power projects, recycling returns through a quasi-sovereign wealth fund that will support social projects in line with our national development priorities. Our ambition is to transform Lesotho from an energy importer to a clean power exporter, charting a new sustainable and prosperous future for our nation. We invite all partners to join us on this journey.” 

Mongolia    
Odkhuu Durzee, Advisor to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Mongolia, and GCF Focal Point
“Mongolia presented its vision for a national Country Platform at the recent GCF high-level event. This is not only a platform for collaboration - bringing together government, private sector, civil society, and international partners - but also a platform for action, where strategic coordination and mobilization of finance drive climate solutions. Integration of AI-driven decision support and robust monitoring systems will strengthen transparency, trust, and accountability, catalyzing collective action and unlocking resources from multiple sources. This approach marks a progressive new way of elevating partnerships to the next level in Mongolia’s climate journey.”

Oman
Dr. Abdullah Bin Ali Al Amri, Chairman of Environment Authority
“For years, Oman has been steadfast in advancing climate action, guided by our national vision and our collective commitment to a sustainable, low-carbon future. Today, with the launch of our Country Platform for Climate Action, we take a decisive step towards transforming ambition into implementation.

This platform is more than a coordination mechanism; it is a national engine for innovation, transparency, and partnership.”

Panama    
Abdiel Ismael Douglas, Climate Finance Advisor, Government of Panama
“We see strong alignment between our national planning efforts and the vision behind the Country Platforms: both seek to move from fragmented initiatives to coordinated, strategic, and transformative investments. Through our Country Platform, Panama aims to create a space where all stakeholders can collaborate effectively, ensuring that climate finance supports long-term national priorities and global ambition.”

Rwanda
Minister of Environment, Dr Bernadette Arakwiye
“The Rwanda Country Platform for Climate and Development is a national mechanism that brings together years of institutional strengthening, bold and forward-looking policies, adaptive national finance architecture, and shared ambition. We chose the name deliberately because in Rwanda, climate action is inseparable from development. Our platform aims to consolidate our strengths, align partners across the public and private sectors, and position Rwanda as an ideal destination for green investment.
Our priority programmes under the platform, Sustainable Land Management, Climate-smart Agriculture and Sustainable Cities, are costed and ready for investment today." 

Togo    
Komla Dodzi Kokoroko, Minister of Environment, Forest Resources, Coastal Protection and Climate Change
“By joining this initiative, Togo aims to develop and implement, together with all its partners, an ambitious program called the 'Green-Blue Corridor Togo-Sahel.' This program positions Togo as a logistics hub for sustainable transport in West Africa, focused on renewable energy and the development of green and blue infrastructure for the country’s sustainable growth.”
 

1.The Caribbean Regional Platform supports seven countries across the Caribbean including; Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago. These are not included in the total number of countries announced as it counted as a single regional platform.

2.The Vulnerable Twenty (V20) Group of Ministers of Finance of the Climate Vulnerable Forum is a dedicated cooperation initiative of economies systemically vulnerable to climate change.