Data & resources
Publications
The Green Climate Fund issues a range of publications for our direct and indirect stakeholders on a diversity of issues – for the general public to industry experts. Stay in tune with our mission and activities around the planet with the issues that speak to you.
Featured publications
Annual Report 2023
2023 was a pivotal year for the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which saw several milestones: the culmination of its 2020-2023 programming period with a maturing portfolio of USD 13.5 billion invested in 243 projects across 129 developing countries; a
Read more
Debt for climate swaps: exploring avenues and opportunities
The intersection of escalating public debt and the deepening climate crisis presents a dual challenge of paramount significance, particularly in Lower-Income Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.
Read more
GCF at a glance: Performance metrics
This publication provides a detailed breakdown of performance metrics that show GCF’s operational progress as we seek to deliver climate finance more quickly and with greater impact.
Read more
GCF: Catalysing finance for climate solutions
The window to address the climate crisis is rapidly shrinking. Floods, droughts, heatwaves, extreme storms, and wildfires are breaking records with alarming frequency around the world.
Read more
GCF at a glance
This publication is a useful reference of GCF's portfolio, providing an overview of GCF's projects and programmes, geographic distribution, and breakdowns of GCF funding.
Read more
Programming guidelines for the Simplified Approval Process
December 2023
The SAP Programming Guideline, a vital element of our extensive GCF documentation suite, equips stakeholders with essential insights into the SAP's key objectives, policies, and a range of tools. Grounded in the GCF Investment Framework, the guideline delineates the Investment Criteria and the Fund's impact goals. It aids project developers in determining whether the SAP is their optimal funding avenue, guiding them through the nuances of proposal preparation and providing detailed steps for...
Reporting guidelines for the Simplified Approval Process (SAP)
December 2023
This guideline document responds to decision B.32/05 made by the GCF Board to develop guidance and templates for the Accredited Entities (AEs) on building a results-based monitoring and reporting system, based on the GCF integrated results management framework to simplify the annual performance report requirements and templates and accelerate disbursements. In particular, the primary aim of this guideline is to assist AEs in accurately and efficiently completing the SAP Annual Performance...
Readiness Result Management Framework: Results handbook
November 2023
The Readiness Result Management Framework (RRMF) is the primary tool to guide Readiness results-based interventions, and through which GCF tracks and measures the results of the Readiness Programme in a consistent and coherent manner. The purpose of the RRMF Results handbook is to provide targeted users, National Designated Authorities, Delivery Partners and the GCF Secretariat, with guidance on the application of GCF’s RRMF as well as to assist in undertaking their respective roles and...
Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (SEAH) risk assessment guideline
June 2023
This tool is a guide to help the Secretariat, AEs and executing entities (EEs) understand SEAH and be able to assess the SEAH risks related to proposed projects in order to predict, mitigate and ideally prevent SEAH from occurring. The tool applies to all GCF-financed activities and to both public and private sector entities. It may be updated by GCF periodically, as required, in order to further incorporate good practice and lessons learned, and to mirror the evolution of GCF’s ESS standards.
SAP Technical Guidelines: Ecosystems and ecosystem services
February 2023
The publication provides technical guidance for the preparation of SAP proposals. The thematic area of ecosystems and ecosystem services encompasses all natural environments and the productive uses that are based on them. This can range from environments not directly impacted by human activities – for example, remote rainforests, alpine regions or coral reefs – to environments that are intensively managed – such as agricultural areas or managed forests for timber production. Given that there...
SAP Technical Guidelines: Transport
February 2023
The publication provides technical guidance for the preparation of SAP proposals. Although there is no one standard definition of the transport sector, it can be described as including all kinds of transportation, such as road, rail and maritime transport, and aviation. Please note that the English document is currently the most up to date version of the technical guideline. The French and Spanish translations are being reviewed and will be soon available for download.
SAP Technical Guidelines: Cities and climate change
February 2023
Traditionally, cities are defined as large human settlements, with no one standardized definition applied internationally. Frequently, national governments have criteria they use to define urban areas. These criteria can vary to include aspects such as administrative boundaries, living conditions or population density. Another approach is what is termed “urban agglomeration”, which considers the extent of an urban area, or sometimes, that of a built-up area, to identify a city’s boundaries....
SAP Technical Guidelines: Forests and land use
February 2023
This publication provides technical guidance for the preparation of SAP proposals. The thematic area of forest and land use encompasses forests and other multiple land-cover types where forests are a prominent component of the landscape. This can range from natural forests, where ecosystems are not directly impacted by human activities (e.g. primary forests) to more intensively transformed landscapes – such as secondary growth forests, degraded forest landscapes, agroforestry systems and trees...
SAP Technical Guidelines: REDD+
February 2023
This guidance has been developed to support GCF accredited entities (AEs) and national designated authorities (NDAs) in their preparation of concept notes and funding proposals under the simplified approval process for REDD+ (REDD+ SAP). Please note that the English document is currently the most up to date version of the technical guideline. The French and Spanish translations are being reviewed and will be soon available for download.
SAP Technical Guidelines: Energy efficiency for industry and appliances
February 2023
This publication provides technical guidance for the preparation of SAP proposals. Energy efficiency (EE) is the process of reducing the energy consumption of infrastructure, facilities, machines, devices, products, services, business processes, activities and transport. It can be thought of as the first fuel of a sustainable world and as such it has a key role in ensuring cost-effective energy transitions. Please note that the English document is currently the most up to date version of the...
SAP Technical Guidelines: Renewable energy
February 2023
This publication provides technical guidance for the preparation of SAP proposals. Renewable energy (RE) is produced using natural resources that are constantly replaced within the human timescale. Just as there are many natural sources of energy, there are many technologies that can help to harness RE sources. Solar photovoltaic (PV) is the most well- known, wind power is the most widespread and hydropower is one of the oldest. Other RE technologies harness geothermal energy, solid waste or...
SAP Technical Guidelines: Water security
February 2023
This publication provides technical guidance for the preparation of simplified approval process (SAP) proposals for water security projects. GCF defines the water sector as encompassing surface freshwater resources and groundwater, but not oceans. Since the water sector is interlinked with several other sectors, such as agriculture and ecosystems, it is necessary to delineate its scope. Thus, the emphasis in this technical guidance a is on four sub-sectors: Integrated water resources...
SAP Technical Guidelines: Agriculture and food security
February 2023
This publication provides technical guidance for the preparation of SAP proposals. The agriculture thematic area encompasses agricultural production, land-use change caused by agricultural production and the food system in general. Agricultural production covers crop production and livestock. In addition to agricultural production the food system includes all steps from “farm to fork”: post-harvest handling, storage, manufacturing, processing, transport, retailing, consumption and food loss and...
Sectoral guides' summaries
December 2022
This document provides a summary of the ten GCF sectoral guides. Each guide covers one of the sectors in which GCF operates in detail, outlining the global context for that sector, two to four paradigm shifting pathways that have potential for greatest impact, information on how these pathways can be financed, examples of cases that illustrate the potential in the sector, and the GCF investment criteria. The summaries focus on the paradigm shifting pathways and the role of GCF in financing...
Simplified Approval Process (SAP) funding proposal preparation guidelines: A practical manual for the preparation of SAP proposals
December 2022
These guidelines have been developed to support GCF accredited entities (AEs) in the preparation of funding proposals under the simplified approval process (SAP) pilot scheme. This document provides general clarifications on the indicative content expected in a SAP funding proposal submitted to GCF. More specific SAP Technical Guidelines on the type of activities by sector have also been developed separately by the Secretariat. This document refers to policies approved by the GCF Board in...
Sectoral guide: Energy efficiency
September 2022
On a global scale, energy efficiency (EE) addresses critical issues in the production, transformation, delivery, and consumption of energy – and associated materials and resources - across all economic sectors, societal groups, income levels and geographies. It is an essential approach for mitigating climate change by reducing energy-related CO2 emissions as well as reducing and offsetting energy demand growth. Above all, there is an immediate need to consolidate and mainstream an effective,...
Sectoral guide: Climate information & early warning systems
September 2022
Between 1970 and 2019, 79% of disasters worldwide were caused by weather, water, and climate-related hazards. These disasters accounted for 56% of deaths and 75% of reported economic losses associated with natural hazard events. The situation is particularly acute in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The intensity and frequency of climate-related disasters are projected to increase as climate change gathers pace, thus presenting a significant risk to...
Sectoral guide: Health & wellbeing
September 2022
There are multiple threats to health and wellbeing from climate change. At 1-1.5°C of warming above preindustrial temperatures, rising temperatures increase the frequency and intensity of extreme events; and exacerbate malnutrition, vector-, food-, and water-borne infections, zoonotic diseases, and occupational and mental health consequences. Climate change also can jeopardize critical infrastructure (e.g., water and sanitation infrastructure); and destabilize systems that maintain population...
Sectoral guide: Low emission transport
August 2022
The Transport sector has a significant and measurable impact on climate change accounting for nearly a quarter of all energy-related CO2 emissions as indicated by the International Energy Agency. Among the different modes of transport, road vehicles – freight, cars, trucks, buses, and two- and three-wheelers – account for nearly threequarters of transport carbon dioxide emissions. In addition to greenhouse gas emissions, the transportation sector is one of the major contributors to emissions of...
Sectoral guide: Water security
August 2022
Climate change is evident around the globe, and it requires bold actions now to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Paris Agreement. In addition, water is one of the world’s most essential commodities and demand for water service has increased tremendously following population growth, economic development and changing consuming patterns. Facing increasing demand for this scarce resource, the global water business seems to offer investment opportunities. There is a building...