The Green Climate Fund (GCF) was established during COP16 in Cancun to be the largest fund for climate mitigation and adaptation projects. Through its governing instrument, the following year the GCF became the first gender-sensitive climate fund, with considerations for gender mainstreaming being placed on both internal operation and resource deployment. Through the GCF Gender Policy (most recently updated in 2019), all funding proposals, whether they are on adaptation, mitigation or both, are required to provide a detailed analysis on the context of gender of the location and sectors in which a project or programme is to be developed — known as the Gender Assessment — and a plan with concrete actions to promote gender equality as the project or programme is carried out — known as the Gender Action Plan. 

Through these requirements, the GCF presents itself with a unique opportunity to open the door for more transformative gender action to take place in climate finance. 

Evaluating Gender Assessments and Gender Action Plans in Latin America and the Caribbean through feminist lenses

In August 2017, with the support of the Wallace Global Fund, WEDO and Both ENDS, as a member of the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA), launched a new joint initiative, “Women Demand ‘Gender-Just’ Climate Finance,” to build capacity and knowledge to track, monitor the activities of the GCF. In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) this work continues as a regional group, coordinated by a gender monitor, that meets to follow, analyze, and/or contribute to the activities of the GCF from a feminist perspective.

Beginning in 2021, the LAC gender monitoring group conducted analysis of the 67 Gender Action Plans and the Gender Assessments of 68 GCF funding proposals with projects and programmes approved in the region. This document provides a brief on the group’s main findings, as well as draws a set of recommendations on key insights and information that these documents should include when conducting projects in Latin America. This work complements existing work on analyzing gender in funding proposal documents, such as the 2021 analysis by Schalatek, Zuckerman and McCollough and the GCF observer network prepared comments on funding proposals, by offering analysis on Gender Assessments and Gender Action Plans from projects and programmes to be implemented in LAC by advocates in that region. To do so, the group collectively designed a template, revised through collaborative feedback based on sharing findings.

With this approach, these comments and the emerging recommendations are a clear call from feminist civil society to the Accredited Entities working in the region on what must be done for accountability to the principle of gender equality embedded in the GCF gender policy. These recommendations should also be heeded by the National Designated Authorities and GCF Secretariat staff who have roles in greenlighting funding proposals to be presented to the Board for approval.

Read the brief for findings on both Gender Assessments and Gender Action Plans, as well as recommendations for each.