Position Paper of the GEF NGO Network on the LDCF/SCCF
Washington, DC – 12/11/09

Climate change adaptation is essential for developing countries and in particular the least developed ones. At the 7th Conference of the Parties to the Convention in 2001, the international community recognized the importance of climate change adaptation for these countries and hence the need for support for these countries. This recognition was translated through the Marrakech Agreements that established the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF). The LDCF was designed to specifically help the LDCs, develop and implement their NAPAs and the Special Climate Change Fund was to finance projects relating to capacity building, adaptation, technology transfer and economic diversification.

Based on the experience of both the LDCF and the SCCF and following the recent independent evaluation of the LDCF that has highlighted a number of concerns and the GEF NGO Network, following consultation with member organizations as well as climate change NGOs, would like to call for the following key points:

1. Financing: It was felt that the focus the ongoing discussions on a post 2012 climate change regime has removed attention on the need to finance urgent and immediate climate change adaptation in developing countries through both funds. The network would therefore support a high replenishment of both funds with over 3 billion USD immediately to be used for NAPA implementation in a programmatic approach during GEF 5 period: the Network supports the immediate replenishment of the LDCF to a minimum of US$ 2 billion for the implementation of the urgent and immediate needs identified in the NAPAs; and a replenishment of US$1 billion for the SCCF for the proper implementation of adaptation activities as well as other priorities in a programmatic approach;
    
2. Governance: the need to strongly support the enhanced participation of all stakeholders, during LDCF Funds management;
    
3. Access to the funds: there is a need to learn from the experience of implementing direct access so far. The rules and procedures of both funds need to simplified to make them more accessible;
    
4. Performance: There is a need to reduce project cycle delays; 
    
5. Civil society engagement: the involvement and engagement of the civil society organizations need to be enhanced. There is a need to link disbursement of the funds to the engagement of civil society; 
    
6. Community-based Adaptation: climate change adaptation has to include a holistic local approach to what vulnerability means for the local population. Community-based adaptation is crucial for local populations and as such need to be prioritized among the activities in order to start from the bottom up.

GEF NGO Network  www.gefngo.org, 12 November 2009.

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