Earth Today | GCF moves to expand regional presence

THE GREEN Climate Fund (GCF) has published a call for proposals inviting countries and cities to express interest in hosting GCF regional offices.

The intention, according to information out of the GCF, is for the fund “to drive significantly more impact by being in much closer proximity to its developing country partners and stakeholders”.

This is according to a July 9 news update from the fund, which is the world’s largest multilateral climate fund dedicated to developing countries, and which supports global climate ambition by “focusing on transformative systems change and delivering impact at scale across developing countries”.

The GCF was established following the 2010 climate talks held in Cancunas, an operating entity of the financial mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and serves the Paris Agreement.

The Paris Agreement is the global treaty on climate change, which sees countries the world over committing to “holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, recognising that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change”.

The agreement also sees countries committing to “increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development, in a manner that does not threaten food production” while also “making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development”.

The GCF exists in support of the realisation of these commitments, managing a portfolio of US$18 billion of climate finance. The fund also operates through a network of more than 150 entity partners to deliver 300 projects across more than 130 developing countries.

The GCF board decided to establish regional presences earlier this year and, during its recent meeting in Papua New Guinea, approved the terms of reference for selecting host countries or cities. The deadline for responding is September 19, 2025.