Funding through the GCM provides a means for aggregating voluntary contributions from multiple donors into a trust fund (GCM Donor Fund) and to allocate these funds to priorities agreed to by the donors (GCM Donor Board).
Objectives:
- Agree on the high priority deficiencies in the global observing systems for climate (including data management elements) in developing countries based on firm scientific analyses and on ways to address these deficiencies through existing funding mechanisms and/or through the GCM Donor Fund. The Board determines its priorities, in light of existing international and national activities to improve global observing systems for climate;
- Establish and operate appropriate procedures for developing funding proposals, managing the allocation of funds, monitoring implementation activities and liaising with relevant national and international institutions and mechanisms.
Features of the GCM funding mechanism include:
- Development of a critical mass of funding to support achievement of sustained improvements in global observing systems for climate;
- Through ongoing replenishment of the fund, the capability to address all types of funding requirements for global climate observations in developing countries, including system improvement, sustained operations, and capacity building;
- Independence from other intergovernmental processes, including those related to the UNFCCC, while assisting in achieving the objectives of the UNFCCC and GCOS;
- Management oversight and priority setting by a Donor Board, which is advised by the GCOS Steering Committee and scientific panels;
- Fully open and transparent accounting of all in-kind and actual expenditures;
- Ability to address global priorities for systematic observation, which are the essential framework for addressing national and regional climate requirements. The existence of a GCM Donor Fund would not eliminate, but would be supportive of, the need to address national or regional priorities, which tend to be the principal focus of bilateral arrangements;
- Efficient use of limited resources through maximising synergies, avoiding duplication and optimising distribution, training, purchasing, and other operational issues;
- Ability to develop, fund and implement cross-cutting approaches relevant to all climate disciplines/regimes, including addressing data management and data exchange;
- Potential for entering into cooperative arrangements for co-financing and implementation with other funding mechanisms such as GEF, particularly in respect of capacity building; and
- Project Officer to manage the implementation actions and the use of resources for system improvement and for sustaining the operation of key stations and systems.
