Enhancing access to climate finance for Small Island Developing States: Considerations for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board

Photo retrieved from odi.org

As the world’s largest multilateral climate fund, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) forms a crucial part of the global climate finance architecture. It has a legally binding mandate to ensure that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are eligible for access and to prioritise SIDS as it seeks to ensure efficient access and enhanced readiness support.

Evidence shows, however, that access for SIDS to GCF funding has been slow and that this group of vulnerable countries has not been prioritised. Three years after an independent evaluation highlighted serious shortcomings, it is more important than ever to highlight the reasons why the GCF is not adequately serving SIDS and make recommendations to help rectify this.