Simplified Approval Process DIRECTRICES TECNICAS DEL PROCESO DE APROBACIÓN SIMPLIFICADO (SAP)

The document outlines the technical requirements and eligible sectors for urban projects seeking funding through the Green Climate Fund's Simplified Approval Process (SAP). It defines eligible 'secondary cities' as those with populations between 1 and 3 million inhabitants and identifies key sectors for intervention, including energy decarbonization, building efficiency, mobility, and waste management. The guide emphasizes a multisectoral, integrated approach to achieve a 'paradigm shift' away from carbon-intensive urbanization, providing specific indicators for measuring impact and examples of activities that do and do not qualify for the SAP.

• For projects under the Simplified Approval Process (SAP), 'secondary cities' are defined as those with a population between 1 and 3 million inhabitants, and a minimum of 1 million inhabitants is required to submit projects.
• Urban areas are significant contributors to climate change, accounting for approximately 71% to 76% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to overall energy consumption, despite contributing to nearly 80% of global GDP.
• The GCF considers projects in several key urban sectors: energy decarbonization, building energy efficiency, mobility and transport, urban development (limited to planning, land use, zoning, and transport plans for SAP), climate change adaptation, materials/circular economy, waste management, and urban water/sanitation.
• To achieve a paradigm shift, urban projects must move away from traditional carbon-intensive urbanization through integrated designs that combine strategic planning, policy reform, technical assistance, and capacity building.
• Waste management projects under the SAP are only considered if they fall under environmental and resettlement safeguard category C; most waste management projects are automatically excluded due to higher environmental impact.
• The GCF requires quantitative estimates for impact measurement rather than vague qualitative descriptions; for example, GHG reductions must be measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2eq).
• Certain construction activities are explicitly excluded from the SAP because they may not meet environmental and social standards, including the construction of new housing, new roads, or Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems.

APA

Sagar, A., & Kim, J. (n.d.). Simplified Approval Process DIRECTRICES TECNICAS DEL PROCESO DE APROBACIÓN SIMPLIFICADO (SAP). Green Climate Fund. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/directrices-te-cnicas-del-sap-las-ciudades-y-el-cambio-clima-tico.pdf

Chicago

Sagar, Aarsi, and Juhern Kim. Simplified Approval Process DIRECTRICES TECNICAS DEL PROCESO DE APROBACIÓN SIMPLIFICADO (SAP). Green Climate Fund, n.d. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/directrices-te-cnicas-del-sap-las-ciudades-y-el-cambio-clima-tico.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sagar |first1=Aarsi |last2=Kim |first2=Juhern |title=Simplified Approval Process DIRECTRICES TECNICAS DEL PROCESO DE APROBACIÓN SIMPLIFICADO (SAP) |publisher=Green Climate Fund |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/directrices-te-cnicas-del-sap-las-ciudades-y-el-cambio-clima-tico.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sagarndsimplified, author = {Sagar, Aarsi and Kim, Juhern}, title = {{Simplified Approval Process DIRECTRICES TECNICAS DEL PROCESO DE APROBACIÓN SIMPLIFICADO (SAP)}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/directrices-te-cnicas-del-sap-las-ciudades-y-el-cambio-clima-tico.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }