The Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) was established to support a work programme to assist Least Developed Country Parties (LDCs) carry out, inter alia, the preparation and implementation of national adaptation programmes of action (NAPAs).

The Global Environment Facility (GEF), as an operating entity of the financial mechanism of the Convention, has been entrusted to operate this Fund through decision 27/CP.7.

Further Developments

The Conference of the Parties, at its eleventh session (COP 11), agreed on provisions to operationalize the LDCF to support the implementation of NAPAs. In particular, the COP provided guidance with regards to priority areas and provisions on full-cost funding and co-financing scale (Decision 3/CP.11).

The Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 26), May 2007 (FCCC/SBI/2007/L.2) recognized the need for the GEF to continue its efforts to mobilize additional resources to support the implementation of NAPAs, and invited Parties and intergovernmental organizations to submit to the UNFCCC secretariat information on implementation of NAPAs, including on accessing funds from the LDCF. The SBI 26 also asked the Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG) to consider experiences in accessing funding from the LDCF as one of the issues to be discussed at a stocktaking meeting and report to the SBI. The SBI decided to continue its deliberations on the LDCF at its twenty-ninth session, with a view to preparing an input for COP 14, to enable the COP to assess progress in the implementation of Decision 3/CP.11.

The COP, at its fourteenth session (COP 14), requested the SBI to review, at its thirty-third session (COP16), the experiences gained in preparing and implementing NAPAs, including in accessing funds from the LDCF. As a contribution to the review, the COP also invited Parties and relevant organizations to submit information on the preparation and implementation of NAPAs, including on accessing funds from the LDCF. The COP 14 also requested the GEF, in parallel to supporting the ongoing implementation of NAPAs, to facilitate the implementation of the remaining elements of the LDC work programme.

The COP, at its sixteenth session (COP 16), reiterated its request to the GEF, as an operating entity of the financial mechanism of the Convention operating the LDCF, in parallel to supporting the ongoing implementation of NAPA, to facilitate the implementation of the remaining elements of the LDC work programme. The COP also requested the GEF to provide funding from the LDCF to LDC Parties, upon request, to enable the update of their NAPA with a view to further improving their quality, to facilitate the integration of LDC adaptation actions into development planning and to reflect increased adaptation knowledge and changed priorities in the countries.

The COP, at its seventeenth session (COP 17) requested the GEF to continue to provide information to the LDCs to further clarify project baselines and the application for accessing funding from the LDCF in order to develop and implement projects under NAPAs to address the effects of climate change, as well as to support the development of a programmatic approaches for the implementation of NAPAs by those LDC Parties who wish to do so; to further explore opportunities to streamline the LDCF project cycle, particularly during the project preparation stage. Additionally, the GEF was requested to further improve the provision of information to LDCs on the project development process for projects being considered under the LDCF.

Furthermore, the COP requested the LEG to provide further specification each of the elements of the least developed countries work programme other than the NAPAs, in consultation with the GEF and report to the SBI at its thirty-sixth session, with a view to informing the COP on guidance to be provided to the GEF on support for the implementation of the elements of the least developed countries work programme other than the national adaptation programmes of action;

In its guidance to the GEF, COP 17, in decision 11/CP.17, requested the GEF to clarify the concept of additional costs as applied to different types of adaptation projects under the LDCF which seek to respond to climate change risks, and, furthermore, to continue to provide financial resources to developing countries for strengthening existing and, where needed, establishing national and regional systematic observation and monitoring networks under the LDCF.

Key Decisions

Decision 9/CP.17: Least Developed Countries Fund: support for the implementation of elements of the least developed countries work programme other than national adaptation programmes of action;

5/CP.16: Further guidance for the operation of the Least Developed Countries Fund;

5/CP.14: Further guidance for the operation of the Least Developed Countries Fund;

3/CP.11: Further guidance for the operation of the Least Developed Countries Fund;

6/CP.9: Further guidance for the operation of the Least Developed Countries Fund;

8/CP.8: Guidance to an entity entrusted with the operation of the financial mechanism of the Convention, for the operation of the Least Developed Countries Fund;

28/CP.7: Guidelines for the preparation of national adaptation programmes of action (see paragraph 4);

27/CP.7: Guidance to an entity entrusted with the operation of the financial mechanism of the Convention, for the operation of the least developed countries fund;

7/CP.7: Funding under the Convention (see paragraph 6);

5/CP.7: Implementation of Article 4, paragraphs 8 and 9, of the Convention (decision 3/CP.3 and Article 2, paragraph 3, and Article 3, paragraph 14, of the Kyoto Protocol) (see paragraph 12).

Key Documents

Latest updates on the SCCF/LDCF

Latest GEF Annual Reports to the COP

Stocktaking Meeting Report (FCCC/SBI/2007/32)

Submissions by Parties and relevant organizations on the LDC Fund

• SBI 33, December 2010 (FCCC/SBI/2010/MISC.9)
• SBI 31, December 2009 (FCCC/SBI/2009/MISC.10)
• SBI 31, December 2009 (FCCC/SBI/2010/MISC.10/Add.1)
• SBI 29, December 2008 (FCCC/SBI/2008/MISC.8)