Final Statement by Amb. Seyni Nafo

Colleagues, friends,

It is a privilege to address you at the end of this final Board meeting of 2025. Tonight, the numbers speak—and they speak of resolve. At B.43, we approved USD 1.334 billion, tied our all-time record with 22 funding proposals, reached the second-highest public-sector and joint-highest private-sector approvals, and achieved the highest number of FAAs signed at approval—moving impact from paper to people.

Across 2025, we set new annual highs: USD 3.26 billion programmed and 50 proposals approved. Behind every figure stands a human story—families rebuilding after storms, farmers enduring longer droughts, communities choosing hope over fear. As parts of the Caribbean reeled from Hurricane Melissa this week, our decisions affirmed a simple truth: solidarity is not a slogan; it is a budget line, a signature, a lifeline.

My deepest thanks go to:

My Co-Chair Leif Holmberg

• The Secretariat—thank you Mafalda and team, for tireless professionalism, the long nights, and the humility to keep improving;

• My team of advisers—your rigor, courage, and clarity kept our compass true;

• The Developing Countries Constituency—Board members, alternates, and advisers—your unity and purpose turned ambition into outcomes;

• Our partners across the Board—developed-country colleagues, thank you for constructive engagement and for meeting complexity with solutions;

• The wider GCF community—active observers, accredited entities, civil society, the private sector, and our technical panels—your contributions elevated the quality and credibility of our work.

I am especially proud that we accredited the first Direct Access Entities from Kazakhstan, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, and Vanuatu. Country ownership is not a paragraph in a policy; it is the hand that holds the pen—and today, more hands are writing their climate future.

What we achieved this year is more than record-setting. It is direction-setting for faster cycles, stronger pipelines, clearer accountability, and a Fund that delivers where vulnerability is greatest.

Let us carry this momentum forward—from volume to value, from approval to disbursement, from impact promised to impact proven. May we enter 2026 with steadier trust, bolder programming, and an unshakeable commitment to climate justice.

Thank you all—for your partnership, your patience, and for believing that together we can match the scale of the crisis with the scale of our humanity.

Finally, we look forward to the nomination of our 2026 Co-Chairs. We are preparing a clear and actionable handover note to support a seamless transition—so the baton passes smoothly, and our institution continues to move with purpose and speed.

Thank you, and safe travels.