Slow and steady wins the race

The story of the Cook Islands becoming the first country in the Pacific to receive GCF’s readiness support began in 2015 when the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management (MFEM) of the Cook Islands and the Climate Change Cook Islands (CCCI) submitted a readiness support proposal to GCF to strengthen national capacities and the governance structure of the CCCI as the National Designated Authority (NDA). The first readiness proposal focused on this to ensure the NDA was well equipped to undertake their role. This involved establishing a draft no objection procedure, raising awareness of climate change and the Green Climate Fund, and the identification of entities to undertake accreditation processes with the GCF.

The Cook Islands’ fourth readiness project built on the achievements of the three previous readiness programmes to focus on strengthening the implementation of the Cook Islands Country Programme through concept note development and capacity building for the Climate Change Cook Islands (CCCI), Ministry of Finance and Economic Management (MFEM) and other stakeholders. This marked a significant increase in the entities involved and led to among other accomplishments, the development and approval of a SAP concept note, an approved PPF application for a Simplified Approval Process (SAP) concept Note, and the submission of an Enhancing Direct Access (EDA) concept note.

Accreditation is a lengthy process and so let the experience of the Cook Islands help you save time.

1. RESOURCES: It’s important to have dedicated resources as an Accredited Entity (AE) towards the accreditation application process to facilitate and answer the GCF feedback promptly from the Secretariat and accreditation panel.

2. TRAINING: Where changes are made to current policies, or where new policies and procedures have been developed, it’s important to factor ongoing training for these policies to ensure they are effectively applied as GCF will require the evidence to show these polices are in place and are being implemented.

3. APPLICATION: Application answers should be specific and clear –each statement or project example must be backed with evidence demonstrating experience and capabilities. This means when responding to the sections on the Online Accreditation System (OAS), it’s important to reference the exact section you mean e.g., page numbers of a document. This makes it easier for the GCF Team to complete their review.

4. SHARE: Don’t be afraid to reach out to other AEs who have received accreditation to learn from their experience. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Management (MFEM) reached out to Federated States of Micronesia on various occasions for guidance.