This evaluation report examines how the GCF has supported developing countries to strengthen resilience, preparedness, and response to climate change. It assesses the Fund’s strategic positioning, partnerships, and use of programmatic modalities and funding windows, including readiness and project preparation support, to advance accessible, sustainable, and effective CIEWS interventions. Reviewing a portfolio of CIEWS-tagged projects that has grown over the past decade, the evaluation traces the GCF’s evolution into a leading global financier in this field.

This independent evaluation of the Green Climate Fund’s (GCF) approach to country ownership was approved by the GCF Board as part of the 2025 workplan of the Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU) and is submitted in time for its forty-third meeting (B.43). It finds that, while country ownership is firmly embedded in the GCF’s Governing Instrument and policies, its operationalization remains uneven and fragmented, and makes recommendations to strengthen institutional arrangements and practices to better support country-driven climate action.

The Green Climate Fund’s Simplified Approval Process (SAP) was created to make climate finance more accessible and responsive, thus enabling smaller, lower-risk projects to address urgent climate needs in vulnerable countries. Since its inception, the SAP has evolved through continuous learning and refinement, introducing tools and approaches to strengthen capacity, accelerate procedures, and simplify documentation.