A national consultation took place on Tuesday 7th May 2019 at the Public Worker’s Union to familiarize all stakeholders on the process of access to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the role of the governmental entities in coordinating that process. Organised by the Department of Economic and Technical Cooperation (DETC) and GIZ under the “Getting Grenada Green Climate Fund Ready (3G)” project, the consultation allowed for discussion with civil society, private sector stakeholders and sector-specific stakeholders on how the DETC will engage with them for GCF related activities, including the development and approval of funding proposals. It provided further insights on how the procedures the government is putting in place will ensure transparent and participatory engagement within those processes, while clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the different stakeholder groups.
Mr. Titus Antoine, Head (Ag.) of the DETC who was delivering the opening remarks on behalf of Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Finance Ms. Patricia Clarke, said “The GCF proposal development process is challenging but if we do it right, we can transform our tri-island state into a more climate-resilient and a climate-smarter small island state. The GCF process is not only important for GCF projects: we have the opportunity to utilize this process and know-how to augment our entire Public Sector Investment Programme pipeline of projects.
The Green Climate Fund was set up by the international community following the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties meeting held in Paris in 2015 during which, commitments were made to not only curb greenhouse gas emissions to keep global warming under the 1.5° C threshold but also to assist developing countries like Grenada that are victims of climate change whilst not contributing to it significantly.
The Fund, to which 48 countries pledged a total of USD 10.3 billion, finances projects around the world that are either contributing to reducing greenhouse gases, such as renewable energy projects and climate change adaptation projects . Projects can either be submitted by public or private entities but all projects for Grenada need to be channeled through the National Designated Authority (NDA), which is the Department of Economic & Technical Cooperation within the Ministry of Finance. The process was explained to the stakeholders at the “The National Climate Finance Process for Accessing the Green Climate Fund” workshop today. The consultation was led by Ms. Frances Fuller and Mr. Leon Charles, two versed experts on the Green Climate Fund procedures, rules and guidelines. They also supported the DETC by writing a detailed manual, outlining its role in interacting with the GCF and stakeholders. The manual outlines Grenada’s own country steering process that follows the guidelines of the GCF, but also makes sure it is embedded in our national legal framework, especially the Public Sector Investment Programme process.
The Getting Grenada GCF ready (3G) project is co-funded by the Green Climate Fund, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Government of Grenada, and is being implemented by the Grenadian Ministry of Finance, Planning, Economic Development & Physical Development in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
