Steps to enhance the climate rationale of GCF-supported activities

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Secretariat developed this guidance to address historical challenges where funding proposals, particularly for adaptation, failed to demonstrate a sufficient climate rationale, leading to delays or non-endorsement by the Technical Advisory Panel (TAP). The document defines climate rationale as the 'overarching narrative of a proposal which ensures that it addresses climate change'. It establishes four high-level principles for adaptation (Identification, Response, Alignment, and Monitoring and Evaluation) and five principles for mitigation (alignment with country priorities, methodological quantification, relevance of methodology, consistent assumptions, and MRV systems). To support these standards, the GCF plans to launch the 'GCF Climate Information Gateway' and a 'Climate Information Expert Advisory Forum' to provide AEs and countries with tools, data, and capacity-building support.

• Insufficient demonstration of climate rationale has been a primary cause of proposal failure; between B.23 and B.29, 52 per cent of all funding proposals not initially endorsed by the TAP were rejected on these grounds, with seven of the 11 cases being adaptation projects.
• The GCF defines climate rationale as the 'overarching narrative of a proposal which ensures that it addresses climate change and thus contributes to the criteria of the GCF Investment Framework', clarifying that this does not establish new eligibility criteria.
• Mitigation proposals must demonstrate that GHG emission reductions would not have occurred without GCF funding (additionality) and should utilize consistent assumptions, such as emission factors, that align with national GHG reporting to support the achievement of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
• Adaptation climate rationale is established through four principles: Identification (linking activities to specific climate hazards and risks), Response (explaining how the activity reduces exposure or vulnerability), Alignment (confirming consistency with national plans like NAPs or NAPAs), and Monitoring and Evaluation (describing the system to assess climate impact).
• The GCF advocates for the use of 'best available information and data', prioritizing IPCC syntheses as the 'gold standard' while allowing for the integration of traditional, local, and indigenous knowledge and practices, especially when scientific literature lacks local-scale data.
• The Secretariat will implement a support framework called the 'GCF Climate Information Gateway' and a 'Climate Information Expert Advisory Forum' to provide AEs and countries with training materials, mitigation methodologies, and climate model information platforms.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2022). Steps to enhance the climate rationale of GCF-supported activities. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/gcf-b33-05.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Steps to enhance the climate rationale of GCF-supported activities. 2022. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/gcf-b33-05.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Steps to enhance the climate rationale of GCF-supported activities |date=24 June 2022 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/gcf-b33-05.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2022steps, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Steps to enhance the climate rationale of GCF-supported activities}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/gcf-b33-05.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }