Vanuatu Achieves Major Milestone with Accreditation of Ministry of Finance and Economic Management as a Direct Access Entity to the Green Climate Fund

Port Vila, Vanuatu – 14th November 2025

The Government of Vanuatu, through the Ministry of Climate Change, is proud to announce that on 28 October 2025, during the 43rd Meeting of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management (MFEM) was officially accredited as a Direct Access Entity (DAE) to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) — marking a historic milestone in the country’s efforts to enhance direct access to global climate finance.

As a newly accredited DAE, MFEM will now be able to receive and manage funding directly, reinforcing the Fund’s principle of country ownership and leadership. This will allow Vanuatu to take greater control over how climate finance is planned, delivered, and aligned with its national development and climate action priorities.

Until now, Vanuatu’s access to GCF funding has primarily been through regional and international Accredited Entities, including SPREP, SPC, Conservation International, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and Save the Children Australia. The accreditation of MFEM marks a transformative step toward national ownership and autonomy, enhancing efficiency and alignment in how Vanuatu mobilizes and manages climate finance.

Vanuatu’s journey toward accreditation reflects its determination to diversify access pathways, maximize drawdown of available resources, and accelerate implementation of its core climate policy frameworks — including the National Sustainable Development Plan (NSDP), National Energy Road Map (NERM), National Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Policy, National Climate Finance Roadmap, National GCF Country Programme, and the recently submitted Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the UNFCCC (September 2025).

MFEM’s recent accreditation to the GCF also positions it to advance its nomination to the Adaptation Fund, following its formal nomination in June 2025, further broadening Vanuatu’s direct access to global climate finance mechanisms.

Mr. David Gibson, Director General of the Ministry of Climate Change and National Designated Authority (NDA) to the GCF, described the accreditation as a “significant milestone achievement for the country.”

“The accreditation of Vanuatu’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Management to the Green Climate Fund is a landmark achievement that places Vanuatu strategically to enhance the mobilization of both adaptation and mitigation financing directly from the GCF,” Mr. Gibson stated.

“This milestone not only strengthens our national capacity to access and manage climate finance but also empowers us to deliver more effectively on our GCF Country Programme, through MFEM as well as our existing partnerships with regional and international Accredited Entities and Delivery Partners.”

Mr. Gibson extended appreciation to the GCF and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) — the latter serving as a GCF Delivery Partner — for their invaluable technical and financial support throughout the accreditation process.

“We extend our sincere appreciation to the GCF for its trust and support, and to the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) for its invaluable role as a GCF Delivery Partner. Their assistance was instrumental in guiding MFEM through the rigorous accreditation process,” Mr. Gibson said.

He further expressed gratitude to Government ministries, private sector partners, and civil society organizations for their active participation and collaboration in the accreditation consultations.

“This success belongs to all stakeholders — Government agencies, the private sector, and NGOs — whose insights and collaboration were vital in ensuring that Vanuatu’s accreditation reflects our shared vision for climate resilience and sustainable development.”

Mr. Tony Amos Sewen, Director of the Department of Finance & Treasury, commended the milestone and reaffirmed MFEM’s readiness to advance implementation.

“The accreditation of MFEM as a Direct Access Entity is testament to our collective determination to strategically advance our efforts to access, mobilize, and scale up financial resources directly from the GCF to address our mitigation and adaptation priorities,” Mr. Sewen said.

“I wish to recognize the vital partnership and collaboration established between the Ministry of Climate Change and MFEM to deliver on this important national undertaking, along with GGGI and all other key agencies. Let me further underscore MFEM’s readiness to advance next steps in project pipeline development, proposal submission, and resource mobilization, all in alignment with our national resilience priorities.”

The Ministry of Climate Change reaffirmed its commitment to work closely with MFEM on the next steps, including pipeline development, project preparation, and resource mobilization to address Vanuatu’s most pressing climate challenges.

“The Ministry of Climate Change stands ready to support MFEM in advancing this process — to prepare submissions and begin drawing down on resources that will directly benefit our communities,” Mr. Gibson affirmed.

As the world prepares for COP 30 in Belém, Brazil, this milestone underscores Vanuatu’s leadership and readiness to translate its climate ambitions into action through strengthened national systems and direct access to international climate finance.

“This achievement comes at a critical time,” Mr. Gibson added. “As the world looks to COP 30, Vanuatu’s accreditation demonstrates our readiness not only to advocate for greater equity in climate finance but also to manage and implement it effectively at the national level.”

Vanuatu currently implements six full-sized GCF projects spanning the Early Warning Systems, Community Resilience, Infrastructure, Water Security, Fisheries, and Education sectors. In addition, the country manages eight pipeline projects and ten Readiness initiatives since first accessing GCF support in 2015 — positioning Vanuatu as one of the most active Pacific nations in mobilizing climate finance for national priorities.

The Green Climate Fund was established at COP16 in Cancún, 2010, as the financial mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Fund plays a central role in supporting developing countries to pursue low-emission and climate-resilient development, in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement, including efforts to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.