Nairobi, 9 July 2015 - The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has been accredited by the Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), allowing it to act as one of the channels through which the Fund will deploy its resources to developing countries. This will enhance UNEP's capacity to provide assistance, particularly in areas related to ecosystem-based adaptation, renewable energy and low carbon development.
UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UNEP Achim Steiner, said, " UNEP's partnership with the GCF opens an unprecedented range of opportunities for the organization to assist developing countries in mitigating and adapting to climate change impacts by harnessing the resilience of healthy ecosystems and low carbon technology innovations."
"From investing in the conservation of the Gambia River Basin to increasing the climate resilience of South-East Asian cities and fighting food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa, UNEP's expertise coupled with GCF's resources will allow more developing countries to draw on our assistance as they put in place their National Adaptation Programmes of Action."
"We are building a vibrant network of partners - which is evidence of a rising demand for an active GCF," said Ms. Héla Cheikhrouhou, Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund. "Seven months ago we invited institutions for the first time to become partners with us. Today, close to 100 well-established institutions from around the world are working towards becoming GCF accredited entities," she said. "We have added to this momentum by boosting our number of accredited entities to 20."
Accreditation to GCF is open to sub-national, national, regional and international, public, private and non-governmental institutions which are eligible to apply through the Fund's Online Accreditation System (OAS). Applicants are assessed on their abilities to meet fiduciary, environmental, social, and gender requirements set out by the Fund.
