Staff of Tebtebba Foundation met last March 15 with Department of Finance (DOF) officials led by Climate Finance Policy Group Director John Narag to discuss possible access to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for Indigenous Peoples’ climate initiatives. The DOF is the National Designated Authority (NDA) that serves as the country’s official and strategic bridge to the GCF.
Climate and Biodiversity Programme staff Abigail Kitma and Melessa Joy Carrao discussed the program concept note Tebtebba is developing with select Indigenous communities and its ongoing advocacy engagement with GCF. Emphasizing the importance of direct access of Indigenous Peoples to GCF resources, they highlighted the interest of Tebtebba’s partners to implement the projects being planned for inclusion in the concept note. Among those are water management, ecosystem preservation, and livelihood improvement, driven by Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge and leadership, in several municipalities in the Cordillera Administrative Region. Tebtebba underscored the role of Indigenous Peoples in climate adaptation efforts and called for greater recognition of their engagement and benefits within the national climate strategy.
The DOF officials listened to the proposals and expressed openness to exploring ways to facilitate Indigenous Peoples’ access to climate funding. The Tebtebba staff were accompanied by International Land and Tenure Facility’s Executive Director Nonette Royo and Program Officer Dazzle Labapis and its partner Parabukas, a women-led, Asia-based international consultancy focused on laws and policies related to climate change, environment, and sustainable development. The Tenure Facility is an accredited entity to the GCF.
The Green Climate Fund is an international financial mechanism established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It supports developing countries in implementing climate adaptation and mitigation projects by providing financial resources to vulnerable communities through accredited entities.