The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Secretariat has approved a proposal for $442,968 to sharpen the skills of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Ghana to support the country’s efforts in addressing global heating.
The GCF is the world’s largest climate fund mandated to support developing countries to implement their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) ambitions towards low-emissions and climate-resilient pathways.
The “readiness proposal” was made by HATOF Foundation, an environmental non-governmental organisation (NGO) specialised in environmental management, governance and climate policy processes.
“Approved on December 3, the proposal is the first readiness targeting support to CSOs in the country and makes the HATOF the first NGO in Africa to have a readiness proposal approved by the GCF,” according to a statement issued by the foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, Samuel Dotse, on Friday in Accra.
The GCF’s Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme supports initiatives by developing countries to strengthen institutional capacities, governance mechanism, and planning and programming frameworks towards a transformational long-term climate action agenda.
This Readiness is the fifth Readiness the GCF has approved for Ghana, and the statement said the approval aimed to strengthen the capacities and knowledge management of 10 Ghanaian CSO networks to contribute efficiently in the NDCs planning and implementation processes.
This, it said, would be done through activities, including engagement with the national designated authority, direct access entities and GCF on project design, selection, budget preparation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
Other ways, it said, were the development of a CSO-tailored training module on preparing funding proposals to leverage non-state actors’ engagement with the GCF and developing a five-year Civil Society Climate Change Agenda and Action Plan.
The statement said the development of GCF concept proposing how the initiative could be up-scaled nationally to facilitate agreement on direction and access to financing would be part of the schedule.
“The Readiness will build on and maximise the efforts of previous and existing support in climate change capacity building related initiatives to ensure that CSOs in Ghana have access to relevant, up-to-date information about climate change trends and risks, receive suitable training and have enhanced knowledge on climate financing and paradigm shift strategies.
“Over time, the Readiness support will enhance CSOs technical and institutional expertise to develop and effectively implement low carbon development climate compatible projects and programmes to contribute to the country’s long-term sustainable development,” it said.
With Centre de Suivi Ecologique (CSE) as the delivery partner, the statement said, the GCF had engaged the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) for grant management support to the Readiness Programme, including the establishment of a grant agreement, performance monitoring and disbursements for the amount of USD 442,968 under the agreement.
It said the Ministry of Finance and the National Designated Authority of the Green Climate Fund would provide leadership in implementing the Readiness Programme.
BY TIMES REPORTER
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