Information Disclosure Policy of the Green Climate Fund

The Green Climate Fund's Information Disclosure Policy mandates a presumption in favour of disclosure for all GCF information and funding activities, while defining specific exceptions for personal, legal, and confidential data. It outlines procedures for proactive disclosure via the GCF website, timelines for responding to information requests, and the establishment of an Information Appeals Panel (IAP) to review denied requests. The policy also specifies disclosure requirements for environmental and social reports based on project categories and sets a three-year review cycle for the policy's implementation.

• The GCF operates under a general presumption in favour of disclosure, seeking to maximize public access to documents and information unless they fall under specific exceptions where potential harm outweighs the benefit of access.
• Specific exceptions to disclosure include personal information, legal or investigative matters, confidential communications between Board members and the Secretariat, safety and security risks, and deliberative information that could damage the free flow of ideas.
• The GCF implements a tiered disclosure timeline for environmental and social reports based on project risk categories: Category A projects and Category I-1 programmes require disclosure 120 days before a Board decision, while Category B projects and Category I-2 programmes require disclosure 30 days before.
• Information that was initially confidential may be disclosed after a certain period: Board documents deemed confidential are disclosed upon request after 10 years, and general operational information is considered historical and disclosed upon request after 20 years, provided they do not fall under permanent exceptions.
• The Secretariat aims to respond to written information requests within 30 working days, providing either the requested data or a justification for denial based on the policy's exceptions.
• An Information Appeals Panel (IAP), composed of the heads of the three Accountability Units, is established to review denials of information requests and can recommend that the Board, Executive Director, or Accountability Unit heads reverse those decisions.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2016). Information Disclosure Policy of the Green Climate Fund. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/information-disclosure-policy.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Information Disclosure Policy of the Green Climate Fund. 2016. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/information-disclosure-policy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Information Disclosure Policy of the Green Climate Fund |date=2016 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/information-disclosure-policy.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2016information, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Information Disclosure Policy of the Green Climate Fund}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2016}, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/information-disclosure-policy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }