IRM Outreach In Argentina: Enhancing Community Access to Grievance Redress

Accessibility to grievance redress mechanisms is vital to uphold accountability in climate finance projects. On 11 March 2025, the IRM collaborated with Fundación Gran Chaco to host a webinar for civil society organisations (CSOs) and local communities in Argentina. The session focused on informing participants about the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the IRM's role in addressing grievances related to GCF-funded projects.

The webinar began with a warm welcome from Fabiana Menna, President of Fundación Gran Chaco, and Sonja Derkum, head of the IRM. The presentation began with Peter Carlson, the Communications Officer, providing an overview of the GCF’s role in funding climate projects. In Argentina, there are currently five GCF projects with a total funding of $225.4 million. Peter encouraged participants to visit GCF's website and access details of ongoing projects and the corresponding Accredited Entities. Next, Sue Kyung Hwang, the Dispute Resolution Case Associate, explained the IRM’s mandate, including addressing complaints concerning GCF-funded projects, working alongside Accredited Entities and project-level mechanisms. Following this, Preksha Kumar, the Registrar and Case Officer, outlined the process for filing a complaint with the IRM.

The webinar concluded with an engaging Q&A session, during which participants discussed their communities' challenges and what effective remedies might look like. To increase accessibility and engagement, interpretation in Spanish was provided. The event also involved polls and audience engagement questions, which enhanced the interaction and learning experience.

This webinar demonstrates that the IRM provides a vital pathway for communities to seek redress and ensure GCF-funded projects benefit everyone. The IRM remains committed to collaborating with other CSOs to plan future engagement webinars to ensure local voices are heard and grievances related to GCF-funded projects are addressed.