Strengthening Awareness and Access: The IRM’s Asia Webinar for Civil Society

The future of climate finance depends on how well organisations listen to the communities they aim to serve, starting with commitments to accountability, community engagement, and accessibility. On 2 September 2025, the IRM hosted a virtual outreach webinar for the Asia region, aiming to provide civil society organisations (CSOs) and local communities a deeper understanding of the IRM’s role in addressing grievances related to Green Climate Fund (GCF) projects.

The session opened with a welcome message from Sonja Derkum, Head of the IRM. The presentation and webinar moderation was conducted by Peter Carlson, IRM Communications Specialist, who introduced GCF’s architecture and its unique model within the climate finance ecosystem. He also noted relevant GCF policies, including the Environmental and Social Policy, Indigenous Peoples Policy, and Gender Policy. To ensure participants were equipped with knowledge on how to access information on GCF-funded projects, Peter guided participants in how to search for active projects in Viet Nam and find the details for each specific project and activity. Sue Kyung Hwang, Dispute Resolution Case Associate, presented the IRM’s mandate and structural role within the GCF. She was followed by Preksha Krishna Kumar, Registrar and Compliance Specialist, who guided the participants through the process of filing a complaint with the IRM, from the eligibility criteria to the alternative methods to get in contact with the IRM. To conclude the informative part of the presentation, Amanda Bierschenk, Case Associate, explained the IRM's case handling process and outcomes or remedies complainants can hope to achieve.

To provide greater accessibility and engagement, the webinar featured a dynamic presentation with polls, questions and captions. The webinar concluded with an informative Q&A session to answer questions from participants.

The IRM will be hosting another virtual outreach webinar in the fourth quarter of this year to continue to engage with CSOs, communities, and other relevant stakeholders. We remain dedicated to upholding accountability, transparency, and access to redress as essential pillars of effective climate finance – ensuring that communities have clear, fair, and trusted pathways to raise concerns and seek resolution.