Green Climate Fund

Overview

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the largest multilateral climate fund and a key financial mechanism under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. It was established in 2010 by 194 Parties to the UNFCCC.

Mandate & Role

• Support developing countries in achieving low-emission, climate-resilient development pathways.
• Act as a centrepiece of international climate finance, mobilising and channeling resources from developed to developing countries.
• Help countries implement and raise the ambition of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

How it Works

• Provides a mix of grants, concessional loans, guarantees, and equity to catalyse public and private investment.
• Operates through accredited entities (MDBs, national development banks, UN agencies, etc.) that design and implement projects and programmes.
• Prioritises projects with high paradigm-shift potential and strong co-benefits (development, gender, resilience, etc.).

Scale

• Portfolio in the tens of billions of USD (approved projects plus co-finance) across mitigation and adaptation.
• Focus sectors: energy, cities, land use & forests (including REDD+ results-based payments), resilience, and climate-resilient infrastructure.

Use in this Brain

• Anchor for mapping multilateral climate finance architecture and its interaction with carbon markets (REDD+, Article 6 pilots, blended finance structures, etc.).