14 November 2014: Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Lilianne Ploumen has announced that the Netherlands will contribute €100 million, or approximately US$125 million, to the Green Climate Fund (GCF). Commenting on the pledge, Ploumen and Dutch Environment Minister Wilma Mansveld underlined the “urgent need for action.”

The announcement, which Ploumen made during an official trip to Rwanda, comes as the GCF gears up for a ‘High-Level Pledging Conference’ to be held in Berlin, Germany, on 20 November 2014. The Conference will raise funds for the GCF’s initial capitalization, which requires a minimum of US$10 billion.

Mansveld said the pledge was an action that shows solidarity for countries unable to defend themselves against climate change. She noted that the Netherlands is not only contributing money, but also expertise in flood protection, water management and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction. Ploumen added that the pledge, which will come from her agency’s climate budget, represents only one component of GCF financing, stressing the importance of private sector financing.

The UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) created the GCF in 2010 at its 16th session in Cancun, Mexico, to help developing countries adapt to and mitigate climate change. By 2020, the Fund aims to raise US$100 billion per year. The Fund has already received pledges from, inter alia, Japana, the US, France, Germany, the Republic of Korea and Switzerland. [Government of the Netherlands Press Release] [UNFCCC Press Release] [IISD RS Story on the US and Japan Pledges]