Enhanced Direct Access to climate finance: 'I wish I knew that at the start!'

This online workshop, as part of London Climate Action Week, heard lessons shared by entities that have managed the Enhanced Direct Access approach to accessing climate finance.

Climate funds like the Green Climate Fund (GCF) are a crucial source of finance under the Paris Agreement, but the process of gaining accreditation, developing project proposals and gaining approval is prohibitively long. A process called Enhanced Direct Access describes a way in which countries can claim some decision-making power back from the board of the GCF and from the Adaptation Fund.

This event, hosted by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) brought together a panel of experts from entities that have managed this approach, capitalising on the lessons they've learned and what they wished they knew at the start.

They discussed challenges and how to overcome barriers to access – highlighting their lessons in planning for EDA, getting accredited to the funds, and project development and implementation.

The speakers:

0:00 Introduction: Clara Gallagher, researcher (climate finance), Climate Change research group, IIED
8.34 UnaMay Gordon, principal director, Climate Change Division, Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Jamaica
11:34 Marianella Feoli, executive director of Fundecooperacion for Sustainable Development
18:01 Michai Robertson, policy officer, Department of Environment, Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, Antigua and Barbuda
20:47 Christa-Joy C. Burton, project officer, Department of Environment, Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, Antigua and Barbuda
23:19 Mandy Barnett, chief director of climate change adaptation, South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)
30:22 Silvia Mancini, senior program officer, Adaptation Fund
36:00 Questions/discussion

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