The Green Clumate Fund (GCF) is the world’s largest dedicated fund for climate action. By the end of this year it will have distributed all USD 10.2 billion of its initial resource mobilisation to over 102 projects in 97 countries, and this shou.d be raised to twice as much again in its first formal replenishment. Therefore it is essential that the GCF considers new, or ‘innovative’, sources of finance to help developing countries reduce their emissions, adapt to climate impacts, and to address the loss and damage when climate impacts go beyond adaptation capabilities. These new sources of finance must be genuinely new – not simply a replacement for commitments from rich countries, and it is essential that they not increase the debt burden on vulnerable countries.

This briefing paper suggests that the GCF put in place a work plan to properly address truly new sources of finance beginning in 2020.