International Union for Conservation of Nature

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) headquartered in Switzerland, is a non-profit organisation that operates internationally in over 150 countries with a wide range of members and partners, including States and government agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), scientists and experts to find practical solutions to environment conservation and sustainable development challenges. It has a strong presence in countries in transition, least developed countries and small island developing States through its regional offices. Its overall programme of work focuses on valuing and conserving nature, ensuring effective and equitable governance of its use, and deploying nature-based solutions to global challenges such as climate change. IUCN does this by undertaking and supporting scientific research, managing and implementing field projects on the ground and bringing together various stakeholders to develop and improve policies, laws and best practices. Currently, IUCN has a project portfolio amounting to USD 330 million in grants. It is estimated that half of this portfolio addresses climate change adaptation issues, while 10 percent contributes to climate change mitigation through greenhouse gas emission reductions. IUCN intends to add significant value to GCF by implementing its mandate to build capacity, especially in relation to its national government and NGO members. IUCN also plans not only to work towards channelling funding from GCF to recipient countries, but also to contribute to enhancing their capacity to ensure that they have direct access to multilateral funding.