Climate finance and gender - key resources

Credit: unsplash.com

Mandate

Under the Gender Action Plan, activity A.2 of priority area A (capacity-building, knowledge management and communication), established the provision of capacity-building opportunities, tools and resources in the context of the role and the work of the National Gender and Climate Change Focal Points, including through providing capacity-building, tools and resources, sharing experience and best practices, workshops, knowledge exchange, peer-to-peer learning, mentoring and coaching.

Activity D.2 of priority area D (gender-responsive implementation and means of implementation), aims to raise awareness of the financial and technical support available for promoting the strengthening of gender integration into climate policies, plans, strategies and action, as appropriate, including good practices to facilitate access to climate finance for grass-roots women’s organizations and indigenous peoples and local communities.

Trainings on climate finance and gender tailored for NGCCFP

The below list of resources was collected with inputs from the Adaptation Fund (AF), Green Climate Fund (GCF), Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Climate Investment Funds (CIF) and will be continuously updated.

Resources and training opportunities

Tools and methodologies

This section includes handbooks, manuals and guides; case studies and technical reports/publications.

Submitter	Name and link	Description	Audience	Type	Year
AF	Gender Reporting in Annual Project Performance Reports (PPR) – Guidance and Best Practices			Presentation	2025
CIF	Women-led Coal Transitions	This background brief presents the rationale for CIF’s Women-Led Coal Transitions (WOLCOT) program, underscoring the urgent need to center gender equality and women’s leadership in coal transition processes. It provides a conceptual framework to assess and address gaps in women's leadership and participation in energy transitions.	CIF Partners, Development Banks and Agencies	Guidance note	2024
CIF	Harnessing Climate Finance to Advance Women's Climate Leadership	This tool equips climate finance providers with a comprehensive approach and tools to promote women’s leadership by: assessing gaps in women’s leadership across public and private sector domains; identifying cross-cutting barriers; and designing policy and programmatic responses to foster women’s leadership. It includes a Diagnostic Questionnaire to analyze gaps and identify actions to overcome structural barriers during project design.	Climate Finance Providers, Development and International Agencies	Publication	2023
CIF	Gender Integration Guidance Note for Climate Investment Fund Projects	This guidance sheet highlights good practices for integrating gender into climate project design, building on the gender policies of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) and Multilateral Development Banks. It outlines key steps for project teams, with illustrative examples drawn from projects across CIF’s different programs.	CIF Partners, Development Banks and Agencies	Guidance note	2022
AF	Study on Intersectional approaches to gender mainstreaming in adaptation-relevant interventions	This publication aims to enhance understanding on intersectional approaches by examining the current state of intersectional approaches to gender mainstreaming in adaptation-relevant interventions as well as how the concept of intersectionality and various intersectional analytic approaches have been applied to adaptation-relevant sectors.	AF Implementing Entities(IEs),Executing Entities (EEs), Designated Authorities (DAs), other stakeholders	Publication	2022
AF	Updated Gender Guidance Document for Implementing Entities on Compliance with the AF Gender Policy	This guidance aims at providing IEs with concrete knowledge on how to enhance the gender-responsive approach within their project design, implementation and evaluation, by including an intersectional perspective and a “do good” approach. Some information stated in the updated guideline includes references to: developing a gender assessment; the features of a stakeholder consultation; the use of gender-responsive qualitative and quantitative indicators; the design of a project-specific Gender Action Plan (GAP).	IE, EE, DA, other stakeholders	Guide	2022
AF	Youth engagement in climate change adaptation. Lessons from the AF Portfolio of projects and programmes	The study focuses on case studies of the AF portfolio that show the drivers, barriers and benefits of investing and strengthening climate resilience of youth through capacity building, training, participation and awareness campaigns. Additionally, the publication underlines the vulnerability of young people ahead of climate change and addresses intersectionality of youth and gender, as well as other social conditions.	IE, EE, DA, other stakeholders	Publication	2022
AF	Assessing Progress: Integrating Gender in Adaptation Fund Projects and Programmes	The study aims to provide an overview of lessons on mainstreaming gender in select projects funded by the AF. The report captures knowledge to support accelerating learning on effective women’s empowerment and gender-responsive adaptation strategies and measures throughout a project’s lifecycle. _{*This study was conducted before the update of the AF GP (updated in 2021) and publication of the Gender Guidance Document.}	IE, EE, DA, other stakeholders	Publication	2020
AF	Transboundary Approaches to climate adaptation: lessons learned from the Adaptation Fund’s Regional Projects and Programmes	This study shows that a number of enabling conditions contribute to the successful delivery of transboundary adaptation in practice, including engaging and adopting specific arrangements to ensure participation from vulnerable groups and women.	IE, EE, DA, other stakeholders	Publication	2022
AF	Scaling up adaptation finance: Experiences and lessons learned from the Adaptation Fund portfolio of projects and programmes	This study aims to understand enabling conditions, best practices, and challenges to the scaling-up of adaptation interventions. Its overarching objectives are to increase awareness in countries and the wider adaptation community.	IE, EE, DA, other stakeholders	Publication	2022
GCF	Women in technology for climate action resource	This video aims to demonstrates the commitment of the fund to gender equality. Highlights the actions of the fund towards climate technology and gender.	Participants of 2021 Lead Today, Shape Tomorrow event	Video message	2021
GCF	Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme	Objectives of this webinar: Understand how the readiness programme has been updated to increase flexibility, efficiency and impact. Have increased awareness of portfolio and grant level impacts of the revised strategy. Understand the grant readiness cycle and the roles and responsibilities of NDAs. It mentions gender in the appraisal function. it is also important to note that the GCF through its Gender Policy ensures proposals and support through readiness and PPF addresses gender issues and requires alignment to national policies and priorities on gender.	Accredited entities/NDAs/Focal Points, delivery partners and those aspiring to be accredited	Webinar	2020

Technical assistance/support

This section includes Technical Assistance (TA) grants available and support.

Submitter	Name and link	Description	Audience	Type	Year
AF	AF Gender Webinar	In this webinar, the AF gender team presented the AF policy framework towards gender-responsive climate adaptation interventions, financing opportunities for strengthening gender capacity-building, and best practices (Gender Assessment, establishing gender-disaggregated indicators, and Gender Action Plans). Moreover, participants engaged in group discussions and shared proposals for strengthening their gender-responsive interventions.		Webinar	2023
AF	AF Enhanced Direct Access (EDA)	AF National Implementing Entities (NIEs) participated in this workshop to learn and exchange knowledge on developing proposal under the EDA window, which requires compliance to AF ESP & GP. Participants shared their experiences and challenges in designing and monitoring gender-responsive interventions.		Workshop	2023
AF	National Implementing Entities	NIEs participated in this workshop which included different sessions on the design and implementation of adaptation projects. One session focused specifically on the AF framework related to gender-responsive adaptation (AF GP and Gender Guidance Document).		Workshop	2022
AF	AF Gender Webinar	The AF gender team carried out its first AF Gender Webinar with the goal of strengthening AF IEs’ capacity to apply a gender-responsive approach in the field of climate adaptation, by sharing good practices, tools and insights to better understand and integrate gender considerations within their projects. More than 120 people registered to participate in this event, which included both NIE, RIE and MIE		Webinar	2022
AF	Grants for the Environmental and Social Policy (ESP) and Gender Policy (GP)	NIEs can apply for up to a maximum of US$ 25,000 per NIE to build internal capacity to simultaneously manage environmental and social as well as gender-related risks within adaptation projects and programmes.		Technical Assistance
AF	Grants for the Gender Policy (GP)	The TA-GP is up to a maximum of US$ 10,000 per NIE, and can be used to source external expertise to strengthen NIE capacity to address gender-related issues in projects and programmes and at the institutional level so as to comply with the Fund’s Gender Policy.		Technical Assistance

Trainings and courses

This section includes ongoing, regularly available/re-offered or training and courses whit recording available.

Submitter	Name and link	Description	Audience	Type	Year
AF	E-Learning Course on Gender Mainstreaming	The e-course, organized into three modules, aids users in understanding the steps required to integrate gender mainstreaming throughout the project or program lifecycle.	Open to all - free	Online; self- paced	2024
AF	Direct Access e-course	The “Direct Access: Unlock Adaptation Funding” e-learning course is an important tool for capacity building at national and subnational level as it tackles the specific challenges and opportunities associated with the Direct Access Modality and, in particular, the capacity gaps in financial management and fiduciary standards, environmental, social and gender standards and its mitigation factors.	Open to all - free	Online; self-paced
AF	Enhanced Direct Access Training	This Adaptation Fund e-course provides an overview of Enhanced Direct Access (EDA) and guidance on how to complete the project proposal template for the EDA grants. It is a self-paced course divided into two modules: 1) EDA: Training, and 2) EDA: Project proposal preparation. Both modules are available for free to all implementing entities and relevant stakeholders interested in learning more about EDA modality under the Adaptation Fund, and how to develop EDA grant proposals with the Fund.	Open to all - free	Online; self-paced
AF	E-training course on Scale-up grants of the AF	This Adaptation Fund E-training provides an overview of scaling-up grants and guidance on how to complete the application form for the Adaptation Fund scale-up grants. It is a self-paced course that is freely available to all implementing entities and relevant stakeholders interested in learning more about scaling-up opportunities under the Adaptation Fund, and how to develop a scale-up grant proposal with the Fund.	Open to all - free	Online; self-paced
AF	E-training course on innovation small grants of the AF	This Adaptation Fund E-training provides an overview of innovation and guidance on how to complete the application form for the Adaptation Fund innovation small grants. It is a self-paced course that is freely available to all implementing entities and relevant stakeholders interested in learning more about innovation under the Adaptation Fund, and how to develop an innovation small grant proposal with the Fund. The E-training is organized into 2 modules, each with a guided learning narration, case studies, and learning reviews. Each module requires approximately 15 minutes to complete. Kindly note that there is a narration also available in Spanish and French.	Open to all - free	Online; self-paced
AF	E-training course on learning grants of the AF	This Adaptation Fund E-training provides an overview of knowledge and learning and guidance on how to complete the application form for the Adaptation Fund learning grants. It is a self-paced course that is freely available to all implementing entities and relevant stakeholders interested in learning more about knowledge and learning under the Adaptation Fund, and how to develop a learning grant proposal with the Fund.	Open to all - free	Online; self-paced
GCF	Mainstreaming Gender in National Adaptation Plan	Better understand the importance of gender responsive approach to national adaptation plan (NAP)	Open to all - free	Online; self-paced
GCF	Developing GCF Funding Proposals for the Simplified Approval Process (SAP)	Equip interest parties understand how to develop funding proposals for SAP Includes a section on how to address gender issues in SAP	Open to all - free	Online; self-paced

Other relevant resources

This section includes portals, platforms or databases that help build capacity.

Submitter	Name and link	Description	Audience	Type	Year
AF	Webinar: Updates to the AF Gender Scorecard Presentation here	Strengthening Gender Reporting and Implementation held in September 2025. Key findings of the report.		Webinar	2025
AF	Report on the Fund’s Gender Scorecard Implementation for FY24	The Gender Scorecard (GSC) was developed to improve data collection and analysis for tracking the performance of projects in terms of gender mainstreaming activities at entry and during implementation and at exit. It is to enable the secretariat to track and report the progress of the implementation of the AF GP at the Fund’s portfolio level on an annual basis.		Report	2025
AF	Community of Practice for Direct Enhanced Access	The CPDAE aims to foster knowledge exchange, learning and collaboration within the community of NIEs and DAEs to increase the effectiveness of entities in accessing resources and implementing adaptation and mitigation projects and programs through direct access, including the identification of best practices in design and implementation that relate to compliance with ESP & GP.	AF National Implementing Entities(NIEs); GCF Direct Access Entities (DAEs)	Community	Since 2019
AF	Country Exchange	The Country Exchanges themes are selected based by NIE interests with the objective to enhance NIE capacity to design, implement, monitor adaptation projects. These visits include questions related to compliance with the AF GP and gender monitoring.	AF NIEs	Exchange visits	Since 2019