Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub

Climate Finance Access Hub

Small states, Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and other vulnerable counties face acute impacts of climate change in a disproportional way. As much as climate finance is being made available to developing countries through a number of international initiatives, most of these countries have limited capacity to access these funds. Therefore, the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub (CCFAH) helps countries to unlock the available climate finance. Through this initiative, small and vulnerable member states are assisted to bid for and gain increased access to climate finance.

The process is achieved through supporting the development of grant proposals and project pipelines; building human and institutional capacity; providing technical advisory services; and facilitating cross-Commonwealth cooperation and sharing of experiences and expertise by Commonwealth National Climate Finance Advisers who are deployed and embedded in relevant government ministry departments.

Since becoming operational in 2016 CCFAH has secured:

Approved projects	34 (13 adaptation, 3 mitigation and 18 cross-cutting)
Climate finance mobilised for approved projects*	US$45.5 million in 7 countries
Pipeline projects	80 (44 adaptation, 18 mitigation and 18 cross-cutting)
Climate finance in the pipeline*	US$762.2 million in 11 countries
Capacity building	81 Training Initiatives	1,648 individuals trained

*Last updated: December 2021

How the Hub works

The Hub works on a ‘Hub-and-Spoke’ model. The Commonwealth climate finance experts act as national advisers and share knowledge with the central hub and with their regional counterparts, to create an interconnected network.

In addition to the hub headquarters based in Mauritius, there are currently Commonwealth national climate finance advisers deployed in 12 countries and 1 Regional Climate Finance Advisor:

Antigua and Barbuda
Belize
Eswatini
Fiji
Grenada
Namibia
Seychelles
Solomon Islands
Saint Lucia
Tonga
Vanuatu
Zambia
Regional Adviser: Indo-Pacific Region - International Solar Alliance

What support the Hub offers

The Hub helps countries translate their climate targets into action by helping them:

Become self-sufficient through 'Human & Institutional Capacity Development' – Skilled technical advisers are deployed in-country to deliver human and institutional capacity for accreditation support, policy and climate finance readiness, as well as the development of project pipelines.
Implement climate change projects through 'Technical Support' – Specialised short-term advisory services are identified and faciliated, to support with the preparation and implementation of climate change related projects.
Share experiences with each other through 'Knowledge Management' – Knowledge and lessons learned from various activities of the Hub are shared to member countries via different tools and instruments.

Governance

The Hub’s steering committee is responsible for governance and guiding strategy and policy. The steering committee makes sure that principles of transparency and accountability are upheld, and that the controls and risk management system are robust. Read the steering committee terms of reference (PDF).

How to join

The Hub services are open to all Commonwealth member countries.

For more information or to request support from the Hub please contact:

Unnikrishnan Nair, Head of Climate Change Section

Uzoamaka Nwamarah, Adviser Climate Change Section

Country Specific Assistance

Palm trees on a hill with the ocean in the background Antigua and Barbuda

Since 2016, Antigua and Barbuda has secured two readiness grants from the Green Climate Fund. MORE

A white sand beach with a city on the far side of the bay Barbados

The Hub has supported the Government of Barbados with six projects in the pipeline ranging in value from US$90,000 to 10,000,000. MORE

Hills covered in a thick green forest Jamaica

Through the support of the Hub, Jamaica has received a US$0.6 million grant to fund REDD+ readiness actions as part of its Forest Policy. MORE

Aerial view of a city by the coast Mauritius

The Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub first opened its door in Mauritius in September 2016. MORE

A garden with the Christ Church in the background in Windhoek, Namibia Namibia

The National Climate Finance Adviser to Namibia is Denis Valliere. The Hub has helped in the production of 5 projects that have totalled 98.7 million US dollars. MORE

Aerial view of an island surrounded by coral reefs Tonga

The overarching scope of the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub's technical assistance for Tonga is to build the capacity of the National Climate Change Division. MORE