New PTF Paper Explores How Partnerships with Local CSOs Could Help Advance Integrity on Climate Finance and Action
The PTF Climate and Environment team has prepared a paper for presentation at the Second
Symposium on Supranational Responses to Corruption, which focuses specifically on Integrity in Climate Finance & Action and will be held on May 9 and 10, 2024.
This paper discusses the three main discourses currently underway on climate action, namely:
- (a) integrity in the design and use of climate finance,
- (b) the massive increase in the voluntary carbon market and its underperformance with respect to carbon sequestration commitments, and
- (c) the perceived trade-offs between reducing poverty and addressing climate change.
“Climate is really the greatest existential threat of our time. It is so essential to understand how everyone can play a constructive role to advance action, with integrity. We need to all be a part of the solution,” noted Dr. Kulsum Ahmed, one of the co-authors of the paper.
The paper goes on to identify specific instances, drawing on PTF and other case studies, where general CSOs may have a comparative advantage in facilitating integrity in climate action. These include:
- Fostering greater social accountability and monitoring so that there is a better bottom-up dialogue on climate priorities and ultimately financing available at a local level for climate action;
- Monitoring climate finance through reviews of expenditure and procurement execution in order to generate more value for money and detect and prevent waste, fraud and corruption;
- Facilitating better stakeholder analysis and benefit sharing in voluntary carbon market deals to increase the sustainability of carbon projects and ensure funds flow to the local communities that need them the most; and
- Ensuring that the voices of the poor and most vulnerable are included in the dialogue so that impacts of climate change on countries can be reduced and climate finance can help to reduce vulnerability, including of the poorest communities.
“Bringing in environmental and social dimensions in the context of administrative procedures, such as procurement, should really help protect vulnerable people and nature at the local level. For example, ensuring that gravel for roadworks is taken from an approved borrow pit rather than from a riverbed or beach, will help to reduce the risk of erosion,” explained Marjory-Anne Bromhead, a paper co-author with four decades of environment and climate experience.
“PTF’s work in partnership with local CSOs on third-party monitoring (TPM) in projects has already shown how this is such a powerful tool with multiple co-benefits, including empowering stakeholders, increasing social accountability and reducing financial mismanagement. It will be great if we can add climate action with integrity to the list of co-benefits,” said Lars Jeurling, a 20 year PTF veteran and another paper co-author.
Finally, the paper discusses what is required for implementation. Capacity building of CSOs and partnership with governments and IFIs is an essential part of the way forward, as well as the availability of increased international long-term funding.
The full paper can be found here.
