The Independent Redress Mechanism (IRM) of the GCF is excited to release its 2018 Annual Report, which will be presented to the GCF Board at the end of February. The report gives a detailed account of our past activities, facts and figures about our year, and the IRM’s plans looking ahead to 2019.

This past year, we have had the opportunity to continue building on our foundation, and with the support of the Secretariat, promote a culture of learning and transparency at the GCF. We were able to exercise our 5 core roles as an accountability mechanism. This included processing the first reconsideration request and self-initiating an inquiry into a GCF project. In so doing, we have had the chance to road test our procedures, build on our experience, and advise the institution on various matters.

When it comes to our primary functions - addressing complaints from project affected persons and requests for reconsideration of funding decisions - we are well on our way to having established procedures to perform this efficiently and fulfill our responsibilities to those who approach us.

The IRM is a learning institution. As we consolidate accountability at the GCF, we will continue building on best practices and lessons learned, engaging in continuous dialogue with concerned stakeholders and collaborating with the GCF Secretariat while maintaining our integrity, impartiality and independence. Of course, our goals will certainly not be accomplished without facing challenges. That is why, looking ahead to 2019, we hope to expand on our communications and outreach initiatives. Civil society organizations, citizen engagement and other partnerships in project countries are fundamental to the IRM’s mission promoting accountability and we want to be proactive in our engagement and receptive to any concerns or issues that may arise. This year, we will also be formally gathering and producing ‘lessons learned’ to propose institutional and policy improvements as the GCF grows.

The IRM is looking forward to participating in the GCF structured dialogues, with an intent to conduct workshops and outreach in both Latin America and Africa (as we focused on other regions last year) – the locations, details and times of these dialogues will soon be made available should you wish to participate (which we certainly encourage!). These dialogues and events will allow us to meet face-to-face and showcase our work and how to access the IRM when needed.

Later this year we will be meeting with other accountability mechanisms similar to our own, to exchange ideas and best practices, and push for the strengthening of accountability at the international level. You can find more information on this network at this link.

For more detailed information of our activities and plans please take a look at our 2018 Annual Report. You can also follow regular updates on our work on our Twitter @GCF_IRM

For the full annual report, click here.