GCF Second Consultation Meeting drives momentum for the second replenishment
The Second Consultation Meeting (CM-2) for GCF’s second replenishment (GCF-2) was held on 27-28 April. Hosted by GCF and moderated by Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, the replenishment facilitator, the two-day virtual meeting convened current and prospective contributors where they received updates on GCF and discussed matters related to the replenishment process.
Day 1 started with welcome remarks by Dr. Mohieldin followed by presentations from the GCF Executive Director a.i. Henry Gonzalez and CFO/COO Hong Paterson who provided updates on major developments at GCF and the Fund’s financial position respectively. The Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU) presented their final report of the GCF Second Performance Review (SPR) and updates were shared on progress of the Updated Strategic Plan for GCF-2 that is currently under development. Discussion was had on the draft policy for contributions for GCF-2.
Day 2 featured inspiring remarks and project impact stories from GCF stakeholders and partners that included Helen Biangalen-Magata, a member of GCF’s Indigenous Peoples Advisory Group (IPAG), and Accredited Entities - Jacqueline Novogratz of Acumen, Jyotsna Puri of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Keith Nichols of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC). Their testimonies highlighted GCF’s unique programming and partnership approach, which aims to deliver impact for the most vulnerable communities and Least Developed Countries, Small Island Developing States and African States.
The meeting turned to practical matters with a continuation of the discussion on the draft policy for contributions from Day 1 and discussion on organisational matters for the pledging conference, which will be hosted by Germany in October. The meeting concluded with final remarks from the GCF Executive Director-elect, Mafalda Duarte, via a pre-recorded video message, who spoke about her commitment to take GCF to greater ambitions to deliver more for developing countries in GCF-2.
Participants were engaged as they were reminded of the urgency of the climate crisis and of the importance of supporting GCF to keep climate ambitions and climate action alive. Following the first pledges for GCF-2 by Austria and the Czech Republic and the USD 1 billion contribution from the US, the meeting continues to drive momentum for GCF.
The GCF-2 process was launched in July 2022 by decision B.33/11 of the GCF Board. GCF-2 consists of a series of organisational and consultation meetings, starting with the Initial Organisational Meeting (IOM) in August 2022 and the First Consultation Meeting in December 2022. The pledging conference will take place in Bonn, Germany on 5 October 2023.