Global Climate Change Alliance

Summary

The Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) was an initiative of the European Union. Its overall objective was to build a new alliance on climate change between the European Union and the poor developing countries that are most affected and that have the least capacity to deal with climate change. The GCCA worked through the European Commission’s established channels for political dialogue and cooperation at national and international level. In 2015, GCCA entered a new phase by becoming the flagship initiative Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+). New features and a strategic orientation towards supporting the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals characterise this new phase, which ended in 2022.

Basic Description

Name of the Fund

The Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA), from 2015 onward called the Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+)

Official Fund Website

https://capacity4dev.europa.eu/groups/gcca-community_en

Date Created

Date fund proposed: 2007

Date fund made operational: 2008

Proposed Life of Fund

GCCA – 2008-2015

GCCA+ – 2015-2022

Objectives

The Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) was launched in 2007 by the European Commission to strengthen dialogue and cooperation on climate change between the European Union (EU) and developing countries most vulnerable to climate change, in particular Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which are hardest hit by the adverse effects of climate change.
Following the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in 2015, the GCCA+ initiative expanded to include middle-income countries and support the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Originally focused on adaptation and resilience building, the mandate of GCCA+ was extended to include mitigation activities. In 2020, the European Commission decided not to extend the fund for a further phase.
The GCCA/GCCA+ acted as a platform for dialogue and exchange of experience between the EU and developing countries on climate policy and on practical approaches to integrate climate change into development policies and budgets with discussions taking place at global, regional and national levels.
The GCCA/GCCA+ also provided technical and financial support to partner countries to integrate climate change into their development policies and budgets, and to implement projects that address climate change on the ground, promoting climate-resilient, low-emission development. Technical and financial cooperation, in turn, informed political dialogue and exchange of experience at regional and global levels.
The ten GCCA/GCCA+ priority areas were:

Mainstreaming climate change into poverty reduction and development strategies
Adaptation, building on the National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) and other national plans
Disaster risk reduction (DRR)
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD)
Enhancing participation in the Global Carbon Market and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
Increasing resilience to climate-related stresses and shocks
Mainstreaming climate considerations in budgetary systems
Mainstreaming climate considerations in policies, strategies, and planning processes
Mainstreaming climate considerations in monitoring systems
Sector-based climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.

The eight sectors in which GCCA/GCCA+ operates are:

Agriculture and food security (including fisheries)
Economic development and tourism
Education and research
Environment and natural resources (including forestry)
Water and sanitation
Disaster risk reduction DRR
Energy
Infrastructure, transport, waste management, and information and communication technology (ICT).

Financial inputs and fund size

Based on information from the Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+) official sources, the budget allocations for the periods 2007–2014 and 2015–2020 were as follows:

First Phase (2007–2014): The European Union contributed €285 million
Second Phase (2015–2020): The European Union allocated €450 million.

This totals €735 million for the period 2007–2020, with €722.5 million contributed by the EU.
The following actors contributed to the first phase: the Development Cooperation Instrument, five EU member states (Ireland, Sweden, Estonia, Cyprus and the Czech Republic, and the 10th European Development Fund.
The contributors to the second phase were: the Development Cooperation Instrument, and the 11th European Development Fund.
The Fund targeted least developed and developing countries, as well as middle-income countries (many of them SIDS) that are recipients of aid in line with the official OECD Development Assistance Committee List of Official Development Assistance Recipients and the United Nations list of SIDS.

Activities Supported

The GCCA was started as a global alliance, involving a wide range of partners across the world with a focus on helping the most vulnerable developing countries to more effectively address the challenges associated with climate change. From its onset, the GCCA supported activities with an emphasis on dialogue and cooperation.
Operating as GCCA+ until the official end of the programme in 2022, its main activities were:

Supporting the development and implementation of climate change policies, such as the NDCs
Providing support for climate change mainstreaming of legislation
Disaster Risk Reduction through protective infrastructure; restoration of protective forests (mangroves, riverine and mountain forests); development of social protection systems and Early Warning Systems (for flooding, cyclones, storm surges)
Promoting renewable energy, clean cooking and energy efficiency
Capacity building and institutional strengthening of central government agencies and training activities
Knowledge building and awareness
Creation of carbon sinks through reforestation, afforestation, rehabilitation of vegetation
Setting up monitoring and evaluation and MRV systems for mitigation action and greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories

At the regional level, GCCA+ supported multi-country programmes either to complement existing country interventions or when the small size of a state deal it ill-equipped to deal with such challenges alone.
The GCCA+ offered its partner countries technical assistance through two support facilities.
The EU GCCA+ Support Facility (SF) assisted the European Commission in identifying, formulating, managing and monitoring EU GCCA+ programmes, as well as providing technical assistance for capacity building, knowledge management and communications services. The facility offered a variety of technical support services to EU GCCA programmes and beneficiaries.
The Intra-ACP EU GGCA+ Climate Support Facility offered direct technical assistance to participants in the Intra-ACP GCCA+ Programme (separately funded with EUR 70 million), which supports member states of the EU-funded initiative of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) to tackle climate change as a challenge to their development.
GCCA/GCCA+ technical support was provided in five priority areas:

Mainstreaming climate change into poverty reduction and development efforts: The GCCA/GGCA+ supported the systematic integration of climate change considerations into national development planning, from policymaking and budgeting to implementation and monitoring. This priority area, which focused on institutional strengthening, was often combined with another priority, in particular adaptation.
Adaptation: The GCCA/GCCA+ aimed to help improve knowledge about the effects of climate change and the design and implementation of appropriate adaptation actions, in particular in the water and agriculture sectors, that reduce the vulnerability of the population to the impacts of climate change. The GCCA/GCCA+ built on National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) and other national plans.
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD): The GCCA/GCAA+ supported solutions to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from deforestation and create incentives for forest protection, while preserving livelihoods and ecosystems depending on forests.
Enhancing participation in the global carbon market: The GCCA/GCCA+ aimed to promote a more equitable geographic distribution of financing opportunities linked to the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) by building the capacities of partner countries to access this source of funding, particularly in the field of energy.

The GCCA/GCCA+ financial support can be disaggregated as follows (with many programmes supporting multiple areas): 81% of funding supports adaptation, 57% of funding supports mainstreaming activities, 25% of funding supports REDD, 19% of funding provides support for disaster risk reduction and 10% supports activities under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

Administrating Organization

Secretariat or Administrative Unit	The European Commission’s Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development (EuropeAid) managed the overall implementation of the GCCA+ initiative. It worked through the Delegations of the European Union to third countries around the world. These Delegations supported the preparation, approval and monitoring of GCCA+ funded programmes. The organigram of the Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development can be found at: https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/system/files/organisation-chart_en.pdf The Intra-ACP GCCA+ Programme was coordinated and governed separately by the ACP Secretariat located in Brussels, Belgium.
Trustee	The European Union acted as the permanent trustee.

Secretariat or Administrative Unit

The European Commission’s Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development (EuropeAid) managed the overall implementation of the GCCA+ initiative. It worked through the Delegations of the European Union to third countries around the world. These Delegations supported the preparation, approval and monitoring of GCCA+ funded programmes.
The organigram of the Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development can be found at: https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/system/files/organisation-chart_en.pdf The Intra-ACP GCCA+ Programme was coordinated and governed separately by the ACP Secretariat located in Brussels, Belgium.

Trustee

The European Union acted as the permanent trustee.

Fund Finance and Access Modalities

Conditions and Eligibility Requirements

The GCCA/GCCA+ provided support to poor developing countries most vulnerable to climate change, particularly the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Development States (SIDS), many of them middle-income countries and supported them in the implementation of their NDCs.
Expressions of interest for EU GCCA+ funding had to meet certain eligibility criteria, which were taken into account during the EuropeAid screening of proposals submitted by EU Delegations, such as, among others:

The quality of the request made and endorsements by the relevant country authorities and/or the EU Delegation for an EU GCCA+ funded action
The status of the dialogue on climate change between the country and the EU (e.g. quality of related actions, joint declarations)
Political factors such as strategic and/or enforced cooperation with certain countries
The role the country plays in the UNFCCC negotiations and commitment to its processes, and efforts in the implementation of related commitments

There was also the possibility of supporting a regional approach, when deemed more appropriate than a country approach (e.g. due to the small size of the countries) and if the absorptive capacities of the regional organisations allowed it. Funding levels were then decided on case-by-case based on needs, absorptive capacities and availability of resources.
In addition, training and technical assistance services related to climate change were available.

Accessing the Fund

Access Modalities – The Delegations of the European Union to the third countries around the world acted as gate keepers. Expressions of interest for GCCA+ funding had to be submitted to them.
The funding proposal and approval process comprised the following steps:

Expression of Interest: Countries submitted concept notes expressing their interest in GCCA+ funding
Compilation of Annual Action Programmes (AAP): A tentative list of AAPs was compiled and reviewed by the Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Unit
Consultation Process: An informal consultation process was launched to discuss the proposed AAPs
Finalisation of AAPs: After formal consultations, the AAPs was finalised, and selected countries were informed of their inclusion
Screening of Action Documents: Detailed action documents were screened to ensure alignment with GCCA+ objectives
Adoption and Contracting: Following the adoption of the AAPs, necessary contracting for project implementation occured at the country level
Waiting List: If funding was unavailable, countries were placed on a waiting list until new funding became available.

The cycle of GCCA+ operations followed the “European Commission Project Cycle Management principles for effective implementation of EU external assistance”.

Financial Instruments – The GCCA/GCCA+ primarily worked through financing agreements with partner countries, including via budget support and grants.

Accreditation process – As funding was only be accessible via direct contact with EU Delegations and through financing agreements with partner countries, there was no accreditation process.

Overview of implementing entities – Government ministries (e.g. the Haitian Ministry of Environment), International and regional organisations (e.g. UNDP, UN Habitat, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States) and Civil Society organisations are the implementing entities for the GCCA and GCCA+ investments.

The list of actual implementing entities is not available.

Nature of recipient country involvement – The interventions at country level were designed in close collaboration between EU Delegations and local development partners and national governments.
The governments of developing countries got involved in the GCCA/GCCA+ by participating in the policy dialogue on climate change with the European Union, at the national level or in the context of regional and global initiatives. This dialogue took various forms, for instance, the identification of areas for closer collaboration, joint participation in work forums linked to the negotiations on the future international climate regime, or the preparation of a joint declaration such as the joint statement issued by the EU, Least Developed Countries and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS).
With regard to the second pillar of GCCA/GCCA+, i.e. technical and financial cooperation, there were two ways in which a partner country government contributes to a programme funded by the GCCA/GCCA+: by taking an active role in programme preparation and implementation, and by co-financing the GCCA/GCCA+ programme.
Relevant ministries, government agencies and other public institutions were therefore involved in all countries in which a programme funded by GCCA/GCCA+ was approved – from the stage of identification and formulation to the stage of implementation, monitoring and evaluation. For example, partners in the implementation of Tanzania’s initial GCCA programme included the Ministry of Finance, the Vice-President’s Office, the Institute of Rural Development Planning, the Sokoine University of Agriculture – and, at the local level, Community Forests Pemba (the latter being an NGO).
In addition, many governments co-financed GCCA/GCCA+ programmes, usually in kind, and sometimes also by explicitly allocating resources from their budget. This was the case, for instance, in Belize, Jamaica, Mali or Mozambique.

Allocation criteria – There were no specific allocation criteria. The potential maximum allocation of EU GCCA+ funds by country depended on the available annual budget under the programme, the type/size of proposed intervention, the country population size and the number of country requests in the given year, geographic balance in the allocation of funds in the previous years, as well as other strategic priorities that might be considered.

Safeguards, Gender and Indigenous Peoples

Safeguards – Even though GCCA+ did not have a formal environmental and social safeguards policy, it operated in line with the Thematic Programme on Global Public Goods and Challenges which aims to “contribute to poverty eradication, social cohesion and sustainable development acting on the solution of global problems through global development outcomes that are inclusive and sustainable”.

In December 2015, GCCA+ adopted a vulnerability index made up of 34 country-specific indicators covering social, economic and environmental aspects critical for climate-resilient development. This index was primarily used to support decision on country selection and on funding allocation.

Gender – Many GCCA+ actions incorporated participative and community-based solutions with a gender focus. Women were “recognised as key actors in agricultural value chains, in securing water, collecting cooking fuel, food and managing other household resources”. GCCA+ has numerous gender-related actions, such as training women in the energy sector, gender mainstreaming in climate policies, capacity building, and micro-finance. In addition, the evaluations of GCCA+ programmes include a G-marker (Gender Equality Policy Marker) which is an accountability tool used to “track resource allocations of donors for promoting gender equality”.

Indigenous Peoples – To our knowledge, GCCA+ did not have a formal policy for Indigenous Peoples. In April 2020, the OACPS and the Intra-ACP GCCA+ organised a webinar in which they emphasised the role of local and indigenous knowledge in tackling climate change in ACP countries.

Fund Governance

Decision Making Structure	European Commission – The European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (EuropeAid) drove and oversaw the overall implementation of the GCCA+ initiative. It worked closely with the Delegations of the European Union to third countries around the world and the Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG-CLIMA). Within EuropeAid, the unit in charge of the management of the EU GCCA+ flagship programme was the Unit C6 “Sustainable Energy and Climate Change”. This unit consulted European Union Delegations and geographic units (i.e., climate focal persons and geo-coordinators) to decide on the final list of programmes funded each year.
Accountability Mechanisms	Within the fund, the GCCA+ Results Framework and the GCCA+ M&E strategy provided information needed to “guide decision making and resources management, and to keep track of quantifiable results pursued through a GCCA+ project in partner countries and regions”. The evaluation of GCCA+ actions allowed to: (a) measure GCCA+ contribution to DEVCO actions in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals, (b) provide an overview of GCCA+ achievements at country level and across GCCA+ targeted countries, and (c) collect and provide select information on the overall performance of the EU GCCA+ flagship initiative. An independent evaluation assessing GCCA was presented in 2014 by the Euronet Consortium. Among the main conclusions of the report were: “GCCA has met with success in striving to assist ACP Member States in their efforts to build climate change capacities with most gains made in relation to adaptation” “A differentiated approach to regional programming should be established that recognises that not all regional partners have the same capacity and that challenges faced by each region are significantly different” “Greater focus should be placed on promoting initiatives that have clear regional implications, in terms of addressing the potential needs of multiple countries”. In addition, GCCA+ initiative underwent a comprehensive independent global evaluation, with the final report made available in December 2022. The evaluation concluded that the GCCA+ effectively responded to the needs of beneficiary countries by promoting dialogue and supporting tangible climate actions. The overall performance across various interventions was rated positively. In 2023, the European Court of Auditors published an evaluation of the GCCA/GCCA+ that concluded that despite the support the initiative provided to more than 80 countries, awareness remained limited amongst developing countries as well as in the EU Member States and that the efficiency of the initiative was impacted by the complexity of its organisation, in particular the duplication of support facilities and funding streams.
Participation of Observers and Stakeholders	EU Member States EU Member State development agencies were involved as partners in GCCA/GCCA+ national programmes. Partner countries Partner countries government participated in the policy dialogue on climate change with the EU. In addition, partner countries’ ministries, government agencies and other public institutions played a major role in the identification, formulation, implementation and monitoring of EU funded GCCA/GCCA+ programmes. Some governments co-financed these interventions. Regional organisations Regional organisations played an active role in the identification, formulation and implementation of GCCA/GCCA+ regional programmes. One key example is the Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+) Scaling up Pacific Adaptation (SUPA) initiative about scaling up climate change adaptation measures in specific sectors supported by knowledge management and capacity building. The 4.5 year project (2019-2023) implemented by the Pacific Community (SPC) in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and The University of the South Pacific (USP), in collaboration with the governments and peoples of 10 participating countries. For further information see: https://gccasupa.org/ International organisations International organisations were involved in the implementation of some GCCA/GCCA+ programmes. Civil Society organisations A third of GCCA-funded programmes included a component aimed at financing activities put forward by civil society organisations (including NGOs, community-based organisations, private sector organisations, etc.). In such cases, organisations were invited to submit project proposals – which were first screened against eligibility criteria, then evaluated on the basis of pre-determined quality criteria. Depending on the objectives and planned activities of a given programme, other opportunities to get involved also included participation in consultative processes (e.g. on policy aspects, on options for a national REDD strategy), involvement in capacity building activities (e.g. on sustainable forest management, on climate-compatible agricultural practices), or implementation of activities targeted at enhancing public awareness of climate-related issues and responses.
Transparency and Information Disclosure	The financial status of the GCCA/GCCA+ was in part available on the GCCA+ website. An overview and some information about individual GCCA/GCCA+ programmes, including funding amounts is available on the GCCA+ website. The archived website also contains summary reports about the GCCA/GCCA+ activities and achievements from 2007-2022. To our knowledge, GCCA/GCCA+ did not have a formal policy on information disclosure.
Other Issues Raised