Publications & documents
Publications
The Green Climate Fund issues a range of publications for our direct and indirect stakeholders on a diversity of issues – for the general public to industry experts. Stay in tune with our mission and activities around the planet with the issues that speak to you.
Featured publications
Annual Results Report 2020
Annual Results Report 2020: Climate action during the pandemic.
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GCF at a glance
This publication is a useful reference of GCF's portfolio, providing an overview of GCF's projects and programmes, geographic distribution, and breakdowns of GCF funding.
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GCF at a glance: Performance metrics
This publication provides a detailed breakdown of performance metrics that show GCF’s operational progress as we seek to deliver climate finance more quickly and with greater impact.
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GCF: Financing climate action
There is a shrinking window of opportunity to address the climate crisis. Average global temperature is currently estimated to be 1.1°C above pre-industrial times.
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GCF Programming Manual: an introduction to the Green Climate Fund project cycle and project development tools for full-size projects
The GCF Programming Manual provides an overview of the GCF project/programme approval process.
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GCF means business: How the world’s largest climate fund works with the financial sector to drive global change
Climate change offers businesses an unprecedented chance to capitalise on new growth and investment opportunities that can protect the planet as well.
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SAP Technical Guidelines: Water Security
October 2020
This publication provides technical guidance for the preparation of simplified approval process (SAP) proposals for water security projects. GCF defines the water sector as encompassing surface freshwater resources and groundwater, but not oceans. Since the water sector is interlinked with several other sectors, such as agriculture and ecosystems, it is necessary to delineate its scope. Thus, the emphasis in this technical guidance a is on four sub-sectors: Integrated water resources...
Project Preparation Facility Guidelines
October 2020
GCF's Project Preparation Facility (PPF) provides financial support to Accredited Entities (AE) in preparing funding proposals for submission to the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The PPF supports AEs in preparing full Funding Proposals for consideration by the Board, based on a Concept Note that has been cleared for project preparation support vis-àvis GCF investment criteria. This publication provides practical guidelines to help AEs in preparing and submitting PPF requests to the GCF secretariat.
Tipping or turning point: Scaling up climate finance in the era of COVID-19
October 2020
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought the world to a tipping point or a turning point in the fight against climate change. Decisions taken by leaders today to revive economies will either entrench our dependence on fossil fuels or put us on a path to achieve the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For the COVID-19 pandemic to prove a turning point, climate action and COVID-19 economic stimulus measures must be mutually supportive; and developing countries must be able to...
GCF in Brief: Adaptation Planning
September 2020
The Green Climate Fund is committed to investing in developing countries’ efforts to adapt to the effects of climate change. GCF aims to deliver a 50:50 balance between mitigation and adaptation allocations in its portfolio, and ensure that at least 50% of adaptation funding goes to particularly vulnerable countries, including LDCs, SIDS and African States. This factsheet provides an overview of how GCF supports adaptation planning in the countries where it operates.
Enhancing access to climate finance through readiness support
September 2020
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) are capitalising on their shared ability to help developing countries take climate action. Nowhere is this clearer than in GGGI’s role as a major delivery partner of grant funds from GCF’s Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme (the Readiness Programme) – designed to widen the scope of climate-focused financial resources for developing countries. GCF’s Readiness Programme is particularly well suited to help bolster...
The Espejo de Tarapacá project: at a glance
July 2020
Chile is striving to transition from its current dependence on fossil fuels to a low-emission, climate-resilient economy, and expand its population’s access to sustainable energy - as well as potable water. Chile’s goal is for renewables to account for 70 per cent of the country’s power needs by 2050. Its current electricity grid consists of unpredictable hydropower and high-emission sources that contribute to climate change. The current lack of clean, reliable energy and water security...
Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund: at a glance
July 2020
While the private sector plays an increasingly important role in renewable energy markets, there is a dearth of business support for climate adaptation, especially for smallholder farmers who bear the brunt of global warming. The innovative Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund (ARAF) project draws in private sector investment to help small- scale farmers adapt, made possible by GCF’s anchor investment. This case study for FP078: Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund provides an overview of the...
Bhutan for life: at a glance
July 2020
GCF joined the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Royal Government of Bhutan and other partners to create the Bhutan for Life project, which was approved in 2017. At the heart of this conservation effort is an innovative financial structure to permanently protect Bhutan’s network of Protected Areas. This case study for FP050: Bhutan for Life provides an overview of the project, expected results and impacts, as well as GCF's unique and innovative role.
GCF Programming Manual: an introduction to the Green Climate Fund project cycle and project development tools for full-size projects
July 2020
The GCF Programming Manual provides an overview of the GCF project/programme approval process, as adopted by the Board, to its stakeholders, including national designated authorities and accredited entities. It also offers guidance on how to prepare and submit a funding proposal that meets GCF investment criteria. The Programming Manual aims to make project origination, development, appraisal, approval and implementation processes more transparent and predictable, as well as to simplify the...
GCF handbook: Decisions, policies and frameworks (updated May 2020)
May 2020
The purpose of the “GCF Handbook” is to make it easier for users to more easily navigate the GCF’s decisions and policies. To facilitate this, each primary Board decision and related policy framework has been given a descriptive title, and placed within one of ten issue oriented chapters. There, the decisions and related frameworks have been further divided by sub-issue with the most recent action on any topic listed first. The decisions and related frameworks that are particularly policy rich...
Report on the progress of the Green Climate Fund during its initial resource mobilization period (January 2015 through March 2020)
April 2020
The Green Climate Fund is a unique institution. It is the manifestation of a joint global commitment to fight climate change and a crucial element of the Paris Agreement. Over the past five years, it has developed from an idea of solidarity between developed and developing countries to a crucial force in countering climate change and its effects. Over the past five years, GCF has committed over USD 5.6 billion of its own investment to support 129 projects in 108 countries and delivered more...
Synergies between climate finance mechanisms
April 2020
Collaboration between climate finance funds can enhance countries' resources and results. A report jointly commissioned by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) shows that country-driven coordination and collaboration between funds in blending finance can lead to better development outcomes, enhanced efficiency, and increased financing in developing countries. The study, "Synergies Between Climate Finance Mechanisms," is the result of a multilevel analysis of...
Readiness and Preparatory Support guidebook: A practical guide on how to prepare readiness proposals for the Green Climate Fund
March 2020
GCF provides capacity building and technical assistance support to developing countries to enhance access to climate finance through the Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme. The Readiness Programme is mandated by the Governing Instrument of GCF to provide resources for strengthening institutional capacities, governance mechanisms, and planning and programming frameworks to identify and implement a transformational long-term climate action agenda for developing countries. This guidebook...
Simplified Approval Process (SAP) funding proposal preparation guidelines: A practical manual for the preparation of SAP proposals
December 2019
These guidelines have been developed to support GCF accredited entities (AEs) in the preparation of funding proposals under the simplified approval process (SAP) pilot scheme. This document provides general clarifications on the indicative content expected in a SAP funding proposal submitted to GCF. More specific guidelines on the type of activities by sector will be developed separately by the Secretariat. This document refers to policies approved by the GCF Board in relation to the...
The Green Climate Fund’s Private Sector Facility
October 2019
GCF has a Private Sector Facility (PSF), with the primary mission to engage both the local and global private sector to support climate change mitigation and adaptation projects in developing countries. This brochure provides an overview of the PSF.
Raising ambition. Empowering action: Report on the progress of the Green Climate Fund during its initial resource mobilization period (January 2015 to July 2019)
October 2019
Since approving its first projects in 2015, GCF has grown and delivered. In these first four and a half years of operation, GCF has become the world’s largest dedicated climate fund, equally committed to supporting countries in adapting to climate change and to driving the transformation to low-emission economies. This report covers the results of the work of the GCF and its partners, showing how our resources are already transforming lives and driving a paradigm shift. With this solid track...
Achieving the Paris Agreement: How GCF raises climate ambition and empowers action
October 2019
The goal of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) is to promote a paradigm shift in developing countries towards low-emission, climate-resilient development pathways. GCF supports the implementation and ambition cycle of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by mobilising the necessary resources and building and investment environment that can help developing countries identify, design and implement transformational climate interventions.
Raising ambition. Empowering action.
August 2019
The investment decisions we make now and over the next few years will determine the world we and our children will live in. The next decade is crucial in achieving the necessary transition towards a low-emissions, climate-resilient global economy that is the foundation for a safe planet. In only four years, GCF has allocated over USD 5 billion of the USD 7 billion received from contributors. As a result, its Board launched the first GCF replenishment in October 2018. An ambitious and...
SAP Technical Guidelines: Energy Efficiency for Industry and Appliances
August 2019
This publication provides technical guidance for the preparation of SAP proposals. Energy efficiency (EE) is the process of reducing the energy consumption of infrastructure, facilities, machines, devices, products, services, business processes, activities and transport. It can be thought of as the first fuel of a sustainable world and as such it has a key role in ensuring cost-effective energy transitions.