Gap analysis and action plan for GCF accreditation Ecuador

In Ecuador, the project “Priming Financial and Land Use Planning Instruments to Reduce Emissions from Deforestations” financed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), provides support for the accreditation of the first national entity. For this, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the Ministry of the Environment, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) through the “PROAmazonía” program, commissioned FS-UNEP Centre to carry out a gap analysis of four national institutions interested in this accreditation.

The analysis follows the “fit-for-purpose” methodology applied by the GCF, and considers criteria of country ownership, GCF funding priorities, as well as GCF accreditation requirements. The latter encompasses fiduciary criteria, the interim socio-environmental standards (IFC-PS), and gender and Indigenous Peoples Policy. For the entity, which better proves to be “fit”, the Frankfurt School will prepare an action plan aimed to close the identified accreditation gaps.

The sources of information include desk research and the collection of primary data from the institutions. Before the Covid-19 crisis unfolded, the team planned to perform training and data collection activities on the ground. However, due to the current mobility restrictions, the project has been adapted to operate on a purely virtual basis. Such an approach has already been undertaken with success in the past.