The paper elaborated by a group of civil society organizations, including hbs North America lays out principles for the first projects to be approved at the 11th Board Meeting of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) from 2 – 5 November in Livingstone, Zambia. Against the backdrop of the upcoming UN climate summit in Paris (COP21), it is imperative that these projects set the standard for game-changing, transformative climate action, fulfilling the mandate of the Fund and meeting the needs of climate-impacted communities.