Jakarta, 22 February 2022 – Indonesia as an archipelagic country has the potential to be affected by large and diverse climate impacts. Those impacts affect differently and unequally between society groups, even potentially intensifying the vulnerability of certain groups, such as the poor, disabled, women, seniors, children, and indigenous people. This affirms the importance of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) aspect in climate projects, as well as including women and other vulnerable groups as empowered agent of change in the decision-making process of each project stage. GESI mainstreaming in climate projects can support the achievement of wider goals in the long term, including poverty reduction and sustainable development.
Green Climate Fund (GCF), as one of non-state budget climate financing sources available for project proponents in Indonesia, also emphasize the importance of GESI mainstreaming in their funded climate projects. GESI principles are stated in the GCF Environment and Social Safeguards (ESS), where principles such as “do no harm” and “leave no one behind” become the main requirement in the process of GESI mainstreaming. The main issue to be addressed in the safeguard implementation is about the direct and indirect impact that can be caused by the project, and potentially harmful for people around the site, particularly vulnerable groups. Specific measures need to be done to develop safeguards that can achieve the goal.
Currently, the project developers in Indonesia have not yet possess the sufficient knowledge on GESI implementation in their projects. Based on various trainings and assistance on proposal development by the Fiscal Policy Agency (FPA) as the GCF focal point in Indonesia, the formulation of safeguards to ensure the project is inclusive and has considered the needs of various stakeholders, become one of the biggest challenges faced by the majority of project proponents. The project commonly focuses on the general impacted society, without specific consideration for vulnerable groups.
Thus, the FPA supported by Global Green Growth Institute, as the delivery partner of GCF Readiness program, has developed a guideline for project proponents to mainstream GESI principles in their mitigation and adaptation projects. This guideline covers the stages and procedures of designing, implementing, and evaluating climate action in GESI perspective. The insights raised in this guideline are also based on the national and local context, where there is various legal framework on GESI mainstreaming, as well as case studies that can be a best practice of inclusive climate project implementation.
“Through this Guideline, the NDA aims to first raise awareness of GESI principles and GESI-related impacts as well as risks from the proposed projects developed by the project proponents,” said the Head of FPA, Febrio Kacaribu, in the document foreword. This guideline is developed and published so project proponents can understand steps to minimize environmental and social risks caused by the project, as well as optimizing the benefits particularly the ones related to gender equality and social inclusion aspect, for all groups of people. Moreover, the guideline is expected to improve the quality of Indonesia’s climate project quality, not only in the main target but also in the following co-benefit and social aspects.
About the Fiscal Policy Agency - National Designated Authority for the GCF
The Fiscal Policy Agency is an echelon I unit of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia with a strategic function as the formulator of fiscal and financial sector policies, having a scope of duties covering macroeconomic, state revenue, state expenditure, financing, financial sector, and international cooperation. More information, particularly related to the GCF funding, can be found on the NDA GCF https://fiskal.kemenkeu.go.id/nda_gcf/.
Contact:
NDA GCF Secretariate in Indonesia
Phone : +62 21 34831676 // Email : ndagcf-indonesia@kemenkeu.go.id/
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