B.14/08: Matters relating to accreditation: Strategy and policy on accreditation

The Board, having considered document GCF/B.14/09 titled “Strategy on accreditation”,

1. Takes note of the draft strategy on accreditation contained in annex II;
2. Requests the Accreditation Committee in consultation with the Secretariat, the Accreditation Panel and national designated authorities, and taking into consideration previous decisions of the Board, in particular decision B.08/10 on country ownership and decision B.12/20 on the strategic plan for the GCF, to continue to elaborate on the draft strategy for its further consideration at the fifteenth meeting of the Board;
3. Acknowledges the recommendation of the Accreditation Committee and the Accreditation Panel to further develop the accreditation framework, which should consider lessons learned and the discussions of the Board at its fourteenth meeting;
4. Decides that future accreditation decisions by the Board should aim to bring forward accredited entities that fill the mandate on balance, diversity and coverage and advance the objectives of the GCF, and to that end:
   
   1. Decides to request the Accreditation Panel and the Secretariat to establish a prioritization of entities applying for accreditation, and prioritizes in 2016 and 2017 the following, not listed in any particular order of priority:
      
      1. National direct access entities;
      2. Entities in the Asia-Pacific and Eastern European regions;
      3. Private sector entities, in particular those in developing countries, seeking a balance of diversity of entities in line with decisions B.09/07, paragraph (g) and decision B.10/06, paragraph (h);
      4. Entities responding to requests for proposals issued by the GCF, for example including a pilot phase for enhancing direct access; a pilot programme to support micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises; and a pilot
      5. programme to mobilize resources at scale in order to address adaptation and mitigation;
      6. Entities seeking fulfilment of conditions for accreditation; and
      7. Entities requesting upgrades; and
   2. Requests the Secretariat, in consultation with the Accreditation Committee and Accreditation Panel, to consider how to refine the method and criteria for prioritization for consideration of the Board at the sixteenth meeting of the Board;
5. With a view to increasing the efficiency of the accreditation process:
   
   1. Requests the Secretariat, in consultation with the Accreditation Panel, to develop modalities for the use of third-party evidence for review by the Board by its sixteenth meeting;
   2. Decides to review the fast-track process as defined in decisions B.08/03, B.10/06 and B.12/30 by the twentieth meeting of the Board; and
   3. Recalling decision B.08/03, paragraphs (f) and (k), requests the Accreditation Panel, with the support of the Secretariat, under the guidance of the Accreditation Committee, to elaborate the following elements for decision by the Board at its seventeenth meeting in 2017, an assessment, including a gap analysis, of the Adaptation Fund’s Environmental and Social Policy (approved in November 2013 and amended in March 2016) and Gender policy (approved in March 2016) in line with the GCF interim environmental and social safeguards and gender policy with recommendations on their potential accreditation or fast-tracking;
6. Decides to commence review of the GCF initial fiduciary standards in 2017 in accordance with decision B.07/02; and
7. Requests the Accreditation Panel to report at the fifteenth meeting of the Board on progress made towards establishing a baseline for the whole portfolio of accredited entities in accordance with decision B.12/30.