How can the Green Climate Fund initiate a paradigm shift?

Key messages of this policy brief:

• The objective of the Green Climate Fund is to achieve a paradigm shift towards low-carbon and climateresilient development pathways. This requires ambition, in the design of funded activities and in the provision of financial resources to the GCF.
• A paradigm shift might imply moving to more programmatic approaches, for example approaches covering whole sectors or economies.
• Strong country ownership is essential for a paradigm shift to occur and important for ambition; it will ensure that new ways of working endure in the long term.
• The GCF can create the conditions for achieving a paradigm shift by providing clear incentives and guidance for ambitious proposals by governments and sub-national actors, by developing access modalities that ensure strong country ownership, by supporting the necessary capacity development, and by encouraging robust knowledge sharing. This must be matched with the provision of large financial resources to the fund.