The UK Fast-Start Finance Contribution

This report by the World Resources Institute assesses the United Kingdom's 'fast start finance' (FSF) contributions for 2010/11 and 2011/12, evaluating the mobilization of funds, transparency of reporting, and the 'new and additional' nature of the finance provided.

• The UK spent and committed GBP 1.06 billion as of November 2011 for climate finance, utilizing the Environmental Transformation Fund in 2010/11 and the International Climate Fund (ICF) in 2011/12. Furthermore, the ICF is slated to spend GBP 2.9 billion between April 2011 and March 2015.
• A significant portion of UK climate finance is delivered via multilateral institutions as capital contributions. The largest share of the UK's FSF consists of GBP 715 million contributed to the Climate Investment Funds (CIFs), which are managed by the World Bank and Regional Development Banks.
• There is uncertainty regarding whether the UK's FSF contribution is truly 'new and additional.' The UK has included projects and programs that were already being funded prior to the FSF period, including contributions to the Congo Basin Forest Fund and the CIFs, which were pledged before the FSF period began.
• While the UK is considered relatively transparent—disclosing project lists to stakeholders and the European Commission and participating in the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI)—practical access to information remains limited. Specifically, few business cases for projects have been made available despite a January 2011 commitment to disclose them.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). The UK Fast-Start Finance Contribution. https://www.wri.org/research/uk-fast-start-finance-contribution

Chicago

World Resources Institute. The UK Fast-Start Finance Contribution. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/uk-fast-start-finance-contribution.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=The UK Fast-Start Finance Contribution |url=https://www.wri.org/research/uk-fast-start-finance-contribution |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendfaststart, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{The UK Fast-Start Finance Contribution}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/uk-fast-start-finance-contribution}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }