COVID-19 Update from April 23, 2020
GGGI Responds to the COVID Crisis: Greening Stimulus & Recovery
This is the second update on the GGGI response to the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic. While our initial response focused on staff safety and business continuity, GGGI has started to adapt its programming to green stimulus and recovery packages in the face of COVID-19. This note provides an update on the current status of these (re-)programming efforts.
Initial Focus on Staff Safety and Business Continuity
A first update on GGGI and the COVID-19 pandemic (dated March 24, find it here) focused primarily on GGGI’s business continuity. On February 23, GGGI’s management changed its annual staff meeting from a physical into a virtual one and gave HQ staff the option to adopt flexible work arrangements in an effort curb the spread of COVID-19. On March 5, all mission travel was suspended indefinitely. From the middle of March, all 30 GGGI country programs switched to flexible work arrangements as governments implemented lockdowns, quarantines, and social distancing measures.
GGGI was well prepared for the challenges posed by the COVID crisis and by and large we have successfully switched to operating remotely, with all key business processes supported through on-line tools, and the equipment and software in place to support remote working. In April, we have accelerated the roll-out of new software to increase the effectiveness of virtual teams and we are making some additional investments in videoconferencing equipment. GGGI has followed UN-guidance on evacuations and only evacuated international staff from one country, though our Australian and Korean volunteer / seconded staff have all been evacuated to their home country. Several other staff have opted to work remotely from another duty station or their home country, but by and large our country teams are still intact and in country, working remotely. We continue to monitor the situation closely through daily meetings of our Crisis Management Committee
and weekly virtual town halls open to all staff.
Read more here.
COVID-19 Update from April 13, 2020
GGGI, like all its Members, has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with all its country offices now working remotely and consultation with government partners slowing down in many cases. While GGGI continued to work largely as usual during the first quarter of 2020, delays in programming are likely to show during the second quarter. Like many others, GGGI is developing plans to support its Members by introducing Green COVID-19 Recovery Packages – but we are also aware that the socio-economic crisis linked to the health crisis may negatively affect the organization and its work.
The GGGI Management Team believes that the organization was well prepared for the pandemic, both through efforts taken to put in place online systems that support decentralized, remote working, business processes that make the organization more agile and flexible, and through successful resource mobilization that have increased GGGI’s projected 2020 revenues 83% over 2017 (Pre-COVID-19). The financial results over 2019 show a $1.2M surplus after two years of planned, but very large, deficits.
GGGI supports its Members through developing green plans and policies and will work with 20+ countries to formulate more solid and ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in 2020. GGGI has also mobilized green and climate finance commitments for green investment projects for its Members with a cumulative value of $1.6 Bn through 2019. Strong strategic partnerships have been developed, not least with the Green Climate Fund, the NDC Partnership, and P4G.
In the uncertain world shaped by COVID-19, GGGI is in a strong position to accelerate the green transition for its 36 Members and implement its Strategy 2030 that targets to double GGGI funding to $110M/annum, and mobilize $16Bn for its Members and that would result in 1.6 gigaton of CO2 emissions reductions, 2 million green jobs, sustainable services to 300 million people in green cities, protection of half a million hectares of natural capital, and increased climate resilience for 8 million people. The planning for GGGI’s Strategy 2030 implementation has started with the development of the Roadmap 2021-2025 that translates our 5 programmatic Global Operational Priorities into 10 Programmatic Solutions. Greening COVID 19 Recovery Packages is integrated into the Work Program & Budget 2021-2022 planning directions.
Read more here.
