29 October 2015: The next phase of the Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) has been launched by the EU to provide approximately €350 million in the period up to 2020 to support developing countries’ fight against climate change. In this phase, known as GCCA+, will focus on the most vulnerable countries and use the EU funds to leverage additional investments from private and public sources.

EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, who launched GCCA+ at an event in Brussels, Belgium, said assisting vulnerable developing countries with adaptation to climate change and the transition to sustainable, green economies is a top priority for the EU, adding that the partnership will look to replicate and build from “encouraging success stories.”

The launch of GCCA+ comes as Parties to the UNFCCC prepare for the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21), taking place November-December 2015 in Paris, France, where governments are expected to adopt a universal climate change agreement.

Noting the initiative is one way the EU is scaling up climate finance, Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete, stated that “it also sends a clear signal ahead of Paris: the EU stands by its commitments and is ready to continue to do its part.”

GCCA+ is also one piece of the EU’s implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA). The EU founded GCCA in 2007 to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with developing countries, in particular least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS). Since its establishment, the partnership has worked on 51 programmes in 38 countries and eight regions. [European Commission Press Release] [GCCA Website]