SIMPLIFIED APPROVAL PROCESS (SAP) TECHNICAL GUIDELINES

The guidelines establish that 'secondary cities' eligible for the SAP must have a population between 1 and 3 million. The GCF prioritizes integrated, cross-sectoral projects focusing on decarbonization of energy, building energy efficiency, mobility, urban form, climate adaptation, circular economy, waste management, and water/sanitation. To achieve a 'paradigm shift,' projects must move away from carbon-intensive urbanization through technological and institutional leapfrogging. The document specifies that construction of new housing, roads, or bus rapid transport systems are 'NON SAP-ABLE' due to environmental and social safeguard (ESS) standards. Impact measurement must be quantitative and aligned with the GCF's integrated results management framework, utilizing sex-disaggregated indicators where possible.

• Under the Simplified Approval Process (SAP), 'secondary cities' are specifically defined as those with a population ranging from 1 to 3 million people, establishing a minimum threshold of 1 million for project application eligibility.
• Urban areas are identified as significant climate drivers, contributing approximately 80% of global GDP while accounting for between 71% and 76% of global greenhouse gas emissions due to final energy use.
• The GCF identifies several key sectors for urban climate projects, including energy sector decarbonization, building energy efficiency, mobility and transport, urban form (limited to planning, land use, and zoning), climate adaptation, circular economy materials flow, waste management, and resilient water and sanitation infrastructure.
• To achieve a paradigm shift, urban projects must transition from carbon-intensive development toward transformative changes, including integrating climate planning into political mechanisms and using technological changes to 'leapfrog' development.
• Certain activities are explicitly excluded from the SAP because they involve construction that would not comply with environmental and social safeguard (ESS) standards, specifically the construction of new housing, new roads, and bus rapid transport systems.
• Project applicants must provide granular, quantitative estimates for impacts rather than vague descriptions, aligning with the GCF's integrated results management framework and using sex-disaggregated indicators where possible.

APA

Sagar, A., & Kim, J. (n.d.). SIMPLIFIED APPROVAL PROCESS (SAP) TECHNICAL GUIDELINES. Green Climate Fund. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/230221-sap-cities-and-climate-change.pdf

Chicago

Sagar, Aarsi, and Juhern Kim. SIMPLIFIED APPROVAL PROCESS (SAP) TECHNICAL GUIDELINES. Green Climate Fund, n.d. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/230221-sap-cities-and-climate-change.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sagar |first1=Aarsi |last2=Kim |first2=Juhern |title=SIMPLIFIED APPROVAL PROCESS (SAP) TECHNICAL GUIDELINES |publisher=Green Climate Fund |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/230221-sap-cities-and-climate-change.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sagarndsimplified, author = {Sagar, Aarsi and Kim, Juhern}, title = {{SIMPLIFIED APPROVAL PROCESS (SAP) TECHNICAL GUIDELINES}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/230221-sap-cities-and-climate-change.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }